Physicians, Academia and Social Media: Where’s the Beef?

I am relatively new to Social Media.  About 7 months ago, I began on Twitter.  In my work as a medical educator at an academic medical center, it has been a challenge to “disseminate” my interest in social media to my academic colleagues.  There are those who have been great supporters and mentors, such as Dr. Mike McKenna (AKA @IronSalsa, if you are on Twitter), who has given presentations at academic medical meetings, and also Grand Rounds, on Social Media in pediatrics.  On the other side of the coin, others have given me “the look”, as if to say “Why are you wasting your time with social media when there are other things to do?”

This is certainly a valid question, and one to consider if one isn’t yet a believer in the power of social media, or is at least questioning the impact of social media in medicine.  So, I thought that I would find some great posts which discuss this issue.  The question I will leave you with is this: how do those currently utilizing social media convert the academic naysayers?

Academic Social Media footprint 

Social Media and the Academic Ivory Tower

Twitter Tips for Academics 

Social Media Risk and Opportunity for Physicians

Medical Schools Embrace Social Media

Reasons Why Doctors should Embrace Social Media

Social Media for Residents and Medical Students

The Intersection of Social Media with Medical Students and Residents

The impact of social media on our current society is unmistakable.   This extends of course to the health care field as well, with a majority of adults seeking information about health care online and through social media venues.  Which brings me to how to consider trainees.  The overwhelming majority of medical students and residents are younger than their teachers, and are plugged in more than any previous generation.  They “live and breathe” in the world of social networking everyday.

Some medical educators have recommended for students to avoid involvement in social media.  “The risks are too great” is what is often said, citing examples of unprofessional behavior by trainees.  Certainly there are instances when students or residents acted in an unprofessional manner with their use of social media. 

But what about the positives?  What about opportunities to learn and have social media and medical education go hand in hand?  What about opportunities to help patients with the use of social media? 

Social media “policies” by academic medical centers or medical schools point out the “don’t do this, don’t do that”, but let’s also focus on what the trainees CAN do.  Let’s consider how we can IMPROVE our current health care system and ultimately the care of patients with innovative uses of social media and social networking, such as this amazing site from Webicina.

I really like this “policy” explanation by the Canadian Medical Association, which has a positive outlook on the use of social media for physicians. A wonderful article by a colleague of mine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, Dr. Gabe Bosslet, highlights both the positives and the potential negative ramifications from social media use by medical students (Dr. Bosslet also was instrumental in writing our medical school’s Social Media guidelines).

What’s your take?  Should we recommend trainees avoid the use of social media, fearing repercussions, or should we embrace these new technologies and try to work with (and learn from) trainees, in whom social networking is already playing a major role?

Twitter and Tweeting During Medical Conferences

I have recently read several different blogs or articles about using Twitter in medical conference meetings.  In fact, I recently returned from the AAMC meeting in Denver, in which apparently I tweeted more than anyone else from within the meeting (some people actually keep statistics on how many times a single person tweets during the time of a meeting; apparently this is relatively simple information to find).

Given lots of interest in this topic recently, I thought I would share what I have learned about this topic with others who may be considering whether to tweet during a conference.  Here are a few links on different aspects of the interplay between Twitter and Medical Conferences.  Most provide the potential positives that can come from Tweeting a meeting, but I have also included views on the other side of the fence that discuss pitfalls.

Tweeting PRIOR to Going to a Conference

This discusses finally meeting people you have been Tweeting with but have never met.

Tweeting Behind your Back

This blog discusses some of the negatives of providing a Twitter feed at a meeting, especially if a presenter isn’t quite prepared to give the presentation

Tweeting Content from the Meeting

This discusses issues related to embargoes within meetings.

Being knowledgeable about Twitter as the PRESENTER at a Meeting

This post describes how to optimize your presentation and presents tips and points to avoid as a presenter at a medical meeting.

How to use a hashtag to tweet at a medical meeting

This straightforward post explains how to tweet by using the hashtag.

How to use Twitter at medical conferences

This article from 2009 provides an excellent explanation of using Twitter at conferences, including before, during and after the conference.  The authors actually did a study as well, and provide some nice results.

The Importance of Twitter presence in conferences

This is an excellent set of suggestions for those who organize conferences, with ideas for how to set up Twitter to make the conference successful.

How to Use Twitter at a Medical Conference

This blog provides theories of how Twitter can be used at conferences, including “as a conversation starter”, “as an influence generator”, “as a goodwill creator”, and other suggestions.  A wonderful explanation of what these different categories can mean as well.

Reasons You Should NOT Use Twitter Feeds

http://ht.ly/1emUeJ

This blog provides some of the potential pitfalls to using Twitter Feeds at meetings.

Tweeting the Meeting

This blog explains general content on what it means to Tweet during a medical meeting.

I hope that these links are helpful to get a sense of what it means to use Twitter at medical meetings.  There are many other opinions written on this topic, and I am sure many more will be written.  Have you tweeted during a meeting, and if so, what have you learned from doing so?