It probably will not come as a major shocker that more and more personnel in the medical community are turning to social media to keep both their clients and themselves up to speed on events in the world of healthcare.
From blog posts on trends in the healthcare industry to seeing what many patients truly think about their experiences with medical staff, social media can be a major vehicle for information.
With that being the case, it behooves doctors and other important players in the medical community to at least be putting their feet in the social media door. Granted, they do not (and probably should not be on it 24/7) want to become addicted to social networking, but there are a number of benefits being socially active can have.
So, have you put your foot in the social media world to date or is the door still closed to you?
Knowing What Patients Might Be Thinking
There are a number of advantages to medical personnel having an interest and presence in the world of social media.
Among these:
- Being viewed as an authoritative medical figure – Even though you are not likely to be a doctor or other medical staff member following a large number of patients on Facebook or Twitter, knowing what patients in general think about various medical conditions and those that treat them is not bad. Keep in mind that millions of patients are regularly active on social networking sites, with some of them discussing medical issues. If you are able to answer their questions, you stand out that much more as an authoritative figure in the medical community. If you have a medical blog (either you own or through your medical provider), sharing and tweeting the posts on it is a good idea. You once again can stand out from others in the medical world when you are viewed as knowing what you are talking about;
- Being warned about possible lawsuits – Other than ultimately losing a patient to an illness or accident, one thing doctors especially do not enjoy is being the center of a medical malpractice lawsuit. In a number of cases of medical malpractice, misinformation or lack thereof turns out to be at the root of the problem, be it the medical staff did not know something about the patient they should have etc. Such lawsuits can prove both mentally and physically tiring, sometimes putting one’s career and those they work for on the line. Following some of the medical chatter on social media can open windows to possible lawsuits to be on the lookout for, especially in a day and age when many people are quick to file suit;
- Being updated on patient needs – Doctors and others in the world of medicine are oftentimes so busy with treating patients and doing other chores around their hospitals or medical centers, they lose track of what is going on in the real world with patients. Social media is once again a great venue for these medical professionals to keep abreast of some of the concerns patients have. In times when patients are trying to gather more information about a particular illness and/or condition they are dealing with, they will go online. Along with Google searches on sites like WebMD and others, patients will reach out to those they know and even may not know all that well on Facebook, Twitter etc. When you have a better grasp of what concerns patients nationwide, it can do nothing but help you in your own medical practice;
Deciding to go on social media when you work in the medical community is a decision only you can make.
Yes, there are some issues with being on social media, notably people will find something it always seems to criticize you and/or your profession over.
That said there are a number of benefits (as mentioned earlier) to having a social presence when you work in the medical field.
Take the time to see how social media could benefit both your medical career and you in general as a person.
As more and more people discover when turning to social media, socializing has its benefits when doing regularly and correctly.
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