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Endocrinologists can embrace social media, with care
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Blogging, microblogging, texting and webinars can allow endocrinologists to engage in patient communities, establish themselves as “experts,” enhance professional development and coordinate interactions with health care teams, according to a presenter here.
“One of the most gratifying things about being a blogger has been being able to talk with people around the world about different things that I thought I was the only one worried about it,” Thomas B. Repas, DO, FACP, FACOI, FNLA, FACE, ECNU, CDE, said.
Thomas B. Repas
However, Repas, an occasional blogger with Medblog on Healio.com/Endocrinology, cautioned physicians who participate in social media to be vigilant about protecting patient confidentiality and to avoid giving medical advice, in particular.
According to Repas, almost 90% of physicians are using social media personally and almost 65% professionally. About 20% of practicing physicians have received friend requests from patients or their family members, and about 15% have checked out a patient or patient’s family member’s online profile.
Physician blogs and Facebook pages aimed at the public can allow more frequent contact with patients, Repas said. Engaging patients in an online space can enable patients to become part of a community, encourage and empower them to be more involved in their self-care, provide them timely evidence-based information and improve their access to other aspects of care, such as e-prescribing, he said.
Although very few outcome studies have been published, there is some evidence that programs organized for patients online, for example on Facebook or over Skype, can help them improve self-management and control glucose, according to Repas.
Repas offered some precautions for physicians who participate in social media:
- Maintain patient privacy, being extremely careful to avoid posting identifiable information.
- Keep appropriate physician-patient boundaries. “In the real world you have to have appropriate face-to-face boundaries, so too in the virtual world,” he said.
- Set up separate accounts for public and friends, and use privacy settings to control who can see your posts. At the same time, remember that private posts can become public.
- Review posts by others to your site, and ask that they remove anything questionable or inappropriate.
- Do not offer medical advice. Even general advice can be taken out of context.
Repas provided suggestions for endocrinologists interested in starting their own blogs:
- Decide who your audience is. Will it be patient-directed or for colleagues?
- State your theme, and find an appropriate site to publish your thoughts.
- Post regularly.
- Don’t ignore comments and feedback; the goal is to encourage conversation. At the same time, continue to moderate responses.
- Avoid ranting. Sleep on any posts you feel strongly about.
- Be careful to maintain confidentiality. Among physician blogs, 17% provide enough information for the patient to be identified, Repas said.
“It’s really fun to engage with folks whether they’re patients or professionals online,” Repas said. — by Jill Rollet
Reference:
Oral presentation #W42. Presented at: AACE 24th Annual Scientific & Clinical Congress; May 13-17, 2015; Nashville, Tenn.
Disclosure: Repas reports financial relationships with Amgen, Hanmi, Merck, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi Aventis. He has been a paid blogger for Healio.com/Endocrinology.