Category: Social media

3 ways to advance the credibility of online health information

As first reported by The Wall Street Journal late last month, the war against anti-vaccination propaganda now has a new battlefront. Pinterest, the social-media platform where users discover images and information, has begun blocking vaccine-related se…

A physician’s first 100 days on Twitter

Since finishing my medical training recently, many of my friends have embraced their newfound freedom as attendings in traditional ways: reviving long-neglected hobbies, finally exercising regularly, enjoying more time with loved ones. Me? I joined Twi…

How social media can help or hurt your health care career

This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com. We live in a time when social media isn’t just about sharing pictures or ideas with a close circle of friends and family. Between our Facebook statuses, our Twitter profiles and especially our Linked…

8 reasons why Instagram is important in medicine

I started sharing my journey through medicine on Instagram about four years ago after I failed the musculoskeletal block during my first year of medical school. I felt alone in my struggles and didn’t want anyone else to feel that way. So I start…

HIPAA case studies: misguided mistakes and egregious errors

An excerpt from Tweets, Likes,and Liabilities: Online and Electronic Risk to the Healthcare Professional. When it comes to HIPAA violations, there are, sadly, plenty of examples available to serve as cautionary tales. Some seem like innocent mistakes t…

How social media can advance humanism in medicine

“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.” – Abraham Maslow. The New York Times recently published the op-ed “Dr. Google is a Liar,” written by cardiologist Haider Warraich, MD. Dr. Warraich d…

Physicians who don’t play the social media game may be left behind

The internet truly is a wondrous invention. It has evened the playing field with a wide swath of people now having access to information that used to be possessed in the hands of only the elite few not too long ago. However, as with most things, there …

A call to clinicians: Contrary to what you’ve been taught, use social media

From the beginning of medical school, one of the first things “instructional videos” that we had to watch during orientation was about “social media” and what “not to do.” There began this stigma, and it was frowned upon to use social media if you were…

Digital advances in the medical aid in dying movement

I am certain that many of you might be familiar with the intelligent, vibrant young lady named Brittany Maynard. Brittany’s story was so compelling to the world that it reached the most outstanding and historic numbers through digital media. Ms. …

A physician’s addiction to social media

For Apple iPhone users, the release of iOS 12 included a new feature called “Screen Time.” Although a number of productivity apps that offered a similar snapshot of phone usage were available before this update, I was never interested in quantifying my…