Q&A: How can ID clinicians use social media accurately and effectively?
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Although sharing information rapidly is crucial for adjusting to global threats like COVID-19, it can give rise to inaccuracies, making it critical for infectious disease specialists to be well versed in social media use, researchers said.
Healio spoke with Talia H. Swartz, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and associate dean for MD/PhD education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, about how ID clinicians can most effectively and appropriately use social media, and what issues they should look out for.
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Swartz and colleagues authored a paper on the topic that was published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.
Q: ID clinicians seem to be very active on social media. In what ways can they help disseminate information during a pandemic?
A: It’s important that ID clinicians are able to provide a voice for evidence-based practice, especially during this pandemic, when there has been a huge amount of misinformation. During the early months of the pandemic, there was a rush to try experimental therapeutics. Early publications included small sample sizes in the absence of rigorous randomized controlled studies, which is the best way to test the effect of treatments. Because so many early studies were released without validating data, it was hard to follow which studies were important and which were not. Individuals who are reading the literature can do a service by digesting this information and providing appropriate context and analysis to inform colleagues and the public.
Q: What are some benefits of using social media, and what are some drawbacks?
A: Benefits to the use of social media are numerous: It is fast, it is far reaching, it crosses time zones and international borders and it allows for dialogue. Drawbacks include the fact that there is minimal barrier to posting content that is not peer reviewed, and thus is subjective and not always reliable. Short postings are also not detailed and nuanced, and can lose critical information in the communication.
Q: How can clinicians maximize the benefits and minimize the drawbacks?
A: Careful consideration should be made to post information that is vetted by trusted authorities. Clinicians who are new to social media should begin slowly by learning how to navigate and by relying on sources that are verified.
Q: What are the first steps a clinician who is not on social media should take before jumping in?
A: Clinicians who are new to social media may start by curating a list of trusted individuals and organizations to follow and observe their posting habits. These individuals are often called “lurkers” who follow but do not post their own content. Once individuals feel comfortable with using social media, they may choose to “like” or repost content. The next step would be posting original content, which should be consistent with that individual’s personal brand. A personal brand is content that is consistent with that individual’s background, training, expertise and passion. In order to build a following, individuals tend to curate content that is consistent and reliable.
Q: You provide social media guidance for ID specialists in the paper. What is best advice you can offer in a few sentences?
A: Our article summarizes three major ways in which ID specialists can use digital strategy to advance the field of infectious diseases: 1) building and preserving public trust in the profession by promoting and disseminating trusted evidence-based guidelines and literature; 2) curating content to engage a defined audience with an aligned mission, including posting content that is consistent with one’s professional mission (ie, patient care, advocacy, research, education); and 3) highlighting the value of the field of infectious diseases by showcasing experts in the field, promoting the work of colleagues and amplifying the contributions of those in the field who are working to support this mission.
References:
Marcelin JR, et al. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021;doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab027
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