The first time you log on to Twitter  – just remember 12 words.
(First published in NZ Doctor May 2015)

One of the main risks of social media is healthcare professionals leaving a gap for others to fill

Although I don’t have the latest iPhone, I confess to wanting one: I am a technophile. I joined Twitter in 2008, initially out of simple curiosity, but it has become an important part of the way I keep records of activity, make notes during conferences and stay connected with colleagues around the world.

Tweet

Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube and various blogging sites like WordPress – most of us are aware of them, and many use them for personal and family connections. But there is a rapid growth in online social media use by doctors, which is worth exploring, if only because patients are already way ahead of us.

As of January 2014, 74 per cent of online adults used social networking sites, 71 per cent used Facebook, 23 per cent used Twitter, 28 per cent used LinkedIn, 40 per cent of smartphone users accessed social media sites from their phones, and 72 per cent of internet users said they have looked online for health information in the past year (1).

Most people looking for health information start at a search engine like Google, with only 13 per cent saying they begin at a health-specific website like WebMD (2).

Unfortunately, much of the information found is unreliable, alarming or, at worst, harmful. Visit the Facebook page for the Australian Vaccination Network for a bleak view of what online healthcare information can look like (3).

Key Tweets

Drug companies are well aware of the potential of an online presence to disseminate information. Companies produce attractive “patient information sites” that are effective, because patients who visit a drug–brand website are more likely to request a drug by name, and 44 per cent of the time a doctor will prescribe that brand of drug.

View the rather frightening video produced by Life Healthcare Communications for more statistics, and a chilling indication of what drug companies see as the leverage they can get out of being connected online (4).

Twitter has much to offer GPs

Medical online enthusiasts suggest we need more GPs to be online and engaged in social media to help increase access to good-quality health information, to meet the clear need people are expressing for online medical support, to help to stay up to date with medical information, news and medical literature, and to share ideas and information with peers (5).

Platforms like Twitter can be used to:

• share high-quality information with colleagues and the public (@nejm #FOAMed #FOAM4GP)

• hold online conversations about clinical and educational issues(@FMChangemakers #woncarural)

• hold online journal club discussions (@PHTwitJC)

• engage in political debates about medical issues (@NZMAchair)

• link with like-minded colleagues (@countrygps @ruralhealthnz)

• take part in regular, scheduled “tweet chats” about issues of importance or interest (#hcsmanz #FMchangemakers)

• follow conferences you cannot attend in person (#woncarural2015)

• use for personal interests (@bbcdoctorwho@hobbitmovie).

But there are risks online

The Royal College of General Practitioners in the UK published the Social Media Highway Code in response to the need for guidance from health professionals about these new tools in patient and healthcare communications – the code is comprehensive (6) .

The Mayo Clinic puts it into 12 words: don’t lie, don’t pry, don’t cheat, can’t delete, don’t steal, don’t reveal (7).

I would add: first, you save yourself.

It is easy to remember and to apply;

Don’t Lie – not lying is good policy anyway, but particularly online. Where a fleeting mistruth in conversation can be hopefully forgotten, online it is searchable forever.

Don’t Pry – Looking for and sharing personal data online is to be avoided in general, but particularly in health where trust in confidentiality is fundamental to the doctor–patient relationship.

Don’t Cheat – We are all vulnerable to inflating our own self-worth, and plagiarising other people’s ideas without reference is very easy to do online (and in New Zealand Doctor articles),

Can’t delete – Once a reputation has been gained for being loose-tongued (or keyboarded), for  stealing or cheating, it is very hard to overcome.

Don’t steal – Don’t take other people’s ideas and present them as your own , link back to the sources if you think they are worth sharing and avoid cheating or trying to “game” a system online.

Think before you post a message online, as once it is sent it cannot be deleted – the Mayo clinic suggests asking yourself three questions:

• who is the audience?

• is this post appropriate for people of all ages?

• does this post add value to the on-going conversation?

First – You Save Yourself – be proactive with social media but be slow to be reactive. Clearly, we all like to think before we speak; thinking before we post is even more important.

Having said this, the greatest risk in social media is not being part of the conversation – it may not be the place for you personally, but accredited, responsible, qualified medical professionals need to be increasingly involved.

Our patients are looking to use this way of communicating and accessing information; if we are not there to inform people, quacks, snake-oil salesmen and pharmaceutical companies are only too keen to fill the gap.

We need to drive the conversation online, and be open to new ways of connecting with our patients and getting high-quality health messages across.

For further advice, Ko Awatea has a great guide for first-time users on how to log on to Twitter (8).   Follow me on Twitter @opotikigp, search for Church Street Surgery on Facebook and follow this WordPress blog “Don’t shoot..” and have fun!

Ref :
1. http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/
2. http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/

3. https://www.facebook.com/avn.living.wisdom
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnmCvj0mxYA
5. http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/03/twitter-doctor-4-reasons-twitter.html

6.  http://www.rcgp.org.uk/social-media

7.  http://network.socialmedia.mayoclinic.org/discussion/a-12-word-social-media-policy/

8.  http://koawatea.co.nz/media/how-to-use-twitter/