Surgery Journal July 2011 emphasizes importance of social media for professionals

My attention was drawn to a series of articles in the July 2011 subscriber-reserved issue of Surgery concerning the importance of social networks for the medical profession.  Each author explains why he or she considers social media  important and provides examples of their relevance  to doctors.Please read on for highlights

 

Social media in medical school education Katie M. Wells, MD, Macon, GA. Graduate from the Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA; and General Surgery Resident, Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Examples:

• Facebook for arranging meetings, sharing information
• YouTube for visual learning about complex science subjects, physical exam maneuvers, diagnostic procedures.
• YouTube, iTunes, for online lectures from other institutions
• Watching operations on video sites during surgical clerkships, to prepare for the next day's operation and get more out of it.
• Mercer's podcasts of live lecture to access off campus, at home, while driving...
• Tweeting a weekly board style question  linked to discussion on a blog : "residents could engage more frequently in information acquisition in a time-saving manner", 
• virtual study groups,  in which residents and students share information about a subject  : virtual grand rounds,  hear experts give lectures anywhere in the world. share posters, abstracts, and manuscripts 

How surgical residents use social media Alexandra Tilt, BA, Craig Mermel, PhD, and Claudius Conrad, MD, PhD, Boston, MA From the Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

"...the medical field should incorporate the Internet and its social networking sites into the network of healthcare delivery"

Examples:

• AccessSurgery.com allowing residency directors to build curricula, assign board review, and link to resources.
• Resident Curriculum Portal from the Surgical Council on Resident Education, promoting self study and access to resources
• Remote viewing, participating, presenting at medical conferences
• Physicians in training:  Tiromed.com, DoctorsHangout.com, Student Doctor Network (forums.studentdoctor.net) exchanging about medical school

Social networking in surgery: The residency program director’s view Patricia L. Turner, MD, FACS, Baltimore, MD From the Division of General Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

Highlights:

•  Importance of guidelines : users must ‘‘make it clear that they are expressing their own personal views", and that they must ‘‘never publicly make comments regarding care of a specific patient.’
• American College of Surgeons web portal  allows for some 2-way interaction. Each ACS member also has a profile
• SAGES PAGES,  serves a Facebook social networking function within the organization,  

Social networking in health care: Surgeons and their patients. Frank Opeka. Louisiana State U Health Sciences Center 

Examples:

• NEJM on YouTube,
• iTunes podcasts : University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, has posted an entire series for medical students called Surgery 101. 
• iTunes U : Yale, Harvard, MIT
• HealthBlawg
• IncidentalEcon

American College of Surgeons and social media efforts David B. Hoyt, MD, Chicago, IL From the American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL

Highlights

ACS presence in cyberspace:Twitter (1484 followers), Facebook (924 members), YouTube and other materials to engage membership in issues  

Twitter: The College’s profile has a current rating of 97.0 out of 100 on TwitterGrader.com. ACS followers include members of the organization, members of Congress and their health policy advi-sors, the press.  First ‘‘live-tweet’’ session during a panel discussion on social media  took place during the 2010 Clinical Congress, with more than 230 tweets being sent/

An electronic forum where rural surgeons can communicate about topics of interest, collaborate, and network  

Social networking services: Implications for the next generation of physicians ; Andrew L. Weinstein, BS, Pierre aB. Saadeh, MD, FACS, and Stephen M. Warren, MD, FACS, New York, NY From the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, New York, NY

• "There may be a 6-fold increase in use of social networks by the next generation of physicians. Residents and medical students are at risk of having their profiles viewed by unintended persons. Since Society expects physicians to embody integrity, it is important for institutions to prioritize the integration of social networks."

 

 

Comments

[CS Step 2]

Social Media doesn't just emphasizes its importance with professionals but also to those low profiles in the community. It is in social media that people can get its voices heard without showing their real identities.

[MichiE]

Thank you, Denise for summary!