The power of social media

As a busy physician in private practice and working mama of 3 boys, my life is busy. And at times, I’ve questioned myself: “Why am I spending the time to do social media?” And then a study like this comes along and I am reminded. 

Whether we healthcare professionals like it or not, social media is here to stay for sharing information on specific health diagnoses

Reddit is a social media website with 330 million active monthly users. A recent study in JAMA found that there were over 16,000 posts asking for “crowd-diagnosis” of a sexually transmitted disease; many of these were requesting a diagnosis as a second opinion after seeing a healthcare professional. 87% got a response to their question, and it usually took less than 3 hours. The old medical dogma of calling your doctor’s office with a question and waiting a week for a response is gone. Social media is the new way that our society wants to embrace medical information. 

✅It’s common to look at social media for answers to medical questions

✅We want our answers fast

✅We need to help patients find reliable sources of information. We need to protect them from misdiagnosis from responders who may lack medical training. This is particularly important with STD screening which can impact their lifelong fertility if misdiagnosed.
✅I need to continue to evolve and challenge myself with the use of social media