Social media is a buzz term we hear everywhere and it seems to be here to stay. But are blogs, Facebook, Twitter and chat rooms worth the effort for busy nephrologists and other medical professionals? According to several social-media users contacted by Renal Business Today, yes, it is worth it to get involved, but the type chosen and the time allotted is a personal decision.
There is a panopoly of purposes for social media in nephrology, according to Joel Topf, MD, chief of nephrology at St. Clair Specialty Physicians, with locations in Michigan. Toph has a blog that he uses to teach through and to network with other medical professionals.
“I have picked up tips on important articles, tricks for combing the medical research,” Topf said. “I have participated in medical debates, developed medical consensus and become friends with various people from far-flung locations.”
The purpose of social media is to create an interactive community for likeminded individuals to share information and receive feedback, according to Kelsey Rood, director of communications for DaVita
“This platform benefits doctors, care givers, patients and their loved ones in several ways: patients can share their experiences and benefit from industry information to improve their quality of life, loved ones can share experiences and learn how they can offer better support and the doctors/care giving teams can learn firsthand what their patients are looking for, giving them prime ways they can better their facilities—especially on a human level,” Rood said.
An important purpose of social media is for marketing, said Dr. Simon Prince, FACP, FASN, president of medical staff at North Shore University Hospital, in Manhasset, N.Y. He is also medical director at Queens Long Island Renal Institute, and founder and president of North Shore Nephrology, PC, and serves as assistant professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine.
“Professionals (and others) online are all trying to market or brand themselves for whatever they are trying to sell,” Prince said. “So, a nephrologist may be marketing him or herself as an expert in the field to improve their ability to sell goods or nephrology services. This can be in the form of direct to consumer (read: patient) or direct to facilitator (read: other physicians who may refer patients, pharmaceutical companies, special interest groups, etc.). The appeal is that one becomes an authority online whether is through a blog, Twitter, etc., you gain followers who begin to develop trust and you parlay this into increasing your business.”
This benefits doctors if they can capture and maintain a sizeable following, according to Prince, as it could lead to more patients, referrals, and business opportunities.
“Furthermore, relationship building and networking is another benefit that is not exclusive to physicians or patients, but can have great value,” Prince added.
The primary reason why doctors should be involved in social media is to help clarify and explain information that patients see and read on television or in newspapers, said Kevin Pho, a doctor of internal medicine, primary care, at Nashua Medical Group, in Nashua, N.H.
“You see new studies out all the time and patients have a lot of questions for their doctors, ‘What does this mean,’ ‘How does this apply to me?’” Pho said. “Social media is a way to express a physician’s opinion to the mainstream. More people are getting their information on the Web. ... With physicians having an online presence on Facebook and blogs and Twitter, they can help clarify a lot of the misinformation that’s out there in the health world.”
Another reason for doctors to use social media is to collaborate with colleagues.
“There are a lot of other physicians on Twitter or Facebook or blogs and when controversial studies come out they can debate amongst themselves on these platforms,” Pho said. “It’s an optimal way to do that.”
It’s optimal because it’s easy, but also because it’s fast and opinions and action plans can be updated almost instantly as information changes. Social media “keeps up with the pace of the news,” Pho added.
Blogs are one of the most popular forms of social media, according to Prince. “There are plenty of well maintained, informative blogs which can have social aspects to them,” he said. “LinkedIn may be another, but I have found that to be less social and more for networking.”
While Twitter and Facebook are the most popular online platforms for social media interaction, they may at times be less successful in creating a true sense of community, something that needs to be fostered in dialysis centers, Rood said. DaVita recently launched a social network dedicated to the kidney care community: YourKidneys.com. The site is designed to educate users, such as patients, their loved ones, caregivers, students or the general public, about kidney disease, resources, etc.
Doctors also need their own space, such as physician-only portals where doctors can log in and talk amongst their colleagues about nephrology and medical trends, Pho said.
“People liken it to a doctors’ lounge of days past where doctors can collaborate without fear of their conversation becoming public,” he added.
Is Social Media Overrated?
Talk of social media is everywhere, but has it gone too far? Prince, for instance, thinks some of the hype around social media is overrated, especially if your goal is to market professional services.
“If a nephrologist is hoping to build his practice with the use of social media, I think that strategy needs to be reexamined and carefully considered,” Prince said. “The ‘World Wide Web’ is just that, a global phenomena. Medical practices generally grow from local, not global marketing. The amount of time and energy it takes to establish an online presence is not to be underestimated. The return on the investment in time I believe is low.”
The other professionals Renal Business Today contacted believe that the buzz over social media is deserved.
Social media has great potential to personalize the relationship people have with vendors, doctors and patients, according to Toph. “How this potential plays out is unclear but I feel there are great opportunities for doctors and providers who develop sharp social media skills,” he said. “I think the ‘buzz’ is deserved due to the enormous potential but it is a reach to conclude that ‘everyone’ should participate.
Social media is no different than the interaction that has been happening day-to-day in this industry for years, said Rood.
“Social media just extends the care giving process by allowing patients to interact with doctors and their entire healthcare team, as well as other patients and loved ones, through an online outlet,” she added. “What’s unique about social media—and the exponential increase in smart phone use—is that we are now connected around the clock. Social media creates a real opportunity for nephrologists to lead the way in real-time interaction in healthcare.”
Social media isn’t going to disappear, said Pho.
“You don’t want to overhype it, you want to take it for what it is,” he said. “If doctors aren’t involved in social media, their patients are. It’s really up to physicians to play a more active role. It’s really imperative that legitimate health professionals also populate the social media spaces and provide their patients with legitimate health information?
