BookDavid R. Stukus, Michael D. Patrick and Kathryn E. Nuss.
Summary: Medical professionals are increasingly engaging with social media in an effort to provide credible evidence-based information and combat the misinformation that patients are finding online and bringing to office visits. Medical professionals are uniquely poised to recognize the harm that can come from applying the incorrect information to decisions affecting ones health, while they are also able to serve as valued and knowledgeable experts online and engage with patients and the public to provide accurate, up-to-date information. Social Media for Medical Professionals: Strategies for Successfully Engaging in an Online Worldis a unique, first-of-its-kind resource, providing specific social media strategies for engagement, as well as advice regarding best practices for professionals to maintain at all times. Chapters discuss many aspects pertaining to social media, covering the basics, researching and assessing credible medical information online, and best practices for discussing myths and misconceptions with patients. Later chapters cover the benefits of engaging in social media as a medical professional, strategies for increasing engagement and building an audience, various options and platforms for content creation and finding your niche, doss and donts regarding patient privacy, and strategies for dealing with negative comments online. A uniquely practical resource, Social Media for Medical Professionals: Strategies for Successfully Engaging in an Online World will be of interest to medical professionals across the spectrum of healthcare, from the student to the seasoned clinician, providing valuable perspective on practicing medicine in an evolving digital world.
Contents:
Introduction: What is social media? (Overview of the platforms, ways they are utilized)
Finding medical information online in the digital age (Details about patients using online resources for medical information)
Myths and misconceptions (Dangers of searching online for medical information)
Why should medical professionals get involved? (Benefits of engaging in social media) . Start with a target audience (Who are you trying to reach, how does message change by audience)
If you Tweet it, they will come (Strategies to increase engagement and build a following) .-Content curation (How to identify and use information from credible resources)
Content creation (Discuss all the platforms to build an assortment of content; blog posts, podcasts, YouTube and how to cross promote on social media)
Dos and donts for the medical professional (Patient privacy, subject matter)
How to deal with trolls (Strategies for dealing with negative comments/feedback)
The sky is the limit (Ideas for how to take social media to other venues, promotion in academic centers, research).