The mere mention of Jenny McCarthy gets an immediate eye roll from many physicians. The closer their practice is to autism or immunology, the more likely the eye roll turns into a lecture on why Ms. Playboy should focus on what she knows.
The problem is that "Ms. Playboy" is kicking the medical profession’s behind on thought leadership. Jenny McCarthy has become a – if not the – leading voice regarding ...
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I sense a movement in health care circles from, "no way we’re doing that social media," to "ok, we get it social media is important, now what?"
This is good to see. But like all things new, we’re experiencing some growing pains. Some health care providers take to social media easily and find ways to leverage it to educate, inform and grow practices, while others make efforts but can’t seem ...
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Back in 2004, after I was accepted into Stanford University, a friend of mine at the university took me around on a campus tour. He showed me the building he lived in (Donner), his cafeteria (Stern), Hoover Tower, and all the usual sights. When it came time for him to tell me more about his classmates and dorm buddies, he promptly pulled up a webpage on his computer. "You have ...
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Recently, Kevin Pho wrote about a physician, Alexandra Thran, who was disciplined by both her hospital and the state medical board for writing about a trauma patient she had seen. Although Dr. Thran hadn't divulged the patient's name, enough information was conveyed that allowed others in the community to identify the patient in question.
That story really freaked me out. Because, as you know, I sometimes write about my ...
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In the course of doing research on the future of social media in health care, and hearing from a group of doctors who believe there isn’t one in their practice, I also talked to a few future physicians. Three to be exact, from different parts of the United States, a third year student, a student on the verge of enrolling in a US medical school, and the one ...
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I started my first blog, Chick Lit MD, in December of 2009. By the time I began filling out my medical school applications I had been actively blogging for approximately 7 months. As someone interested in the intersection between medicine and media, the use of social media was integral to my exploration of both fields. As such, I included my adventures in social media in my application ...
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Social media holds a lot of potential for the health care professionals. Is fear of the medium inappropriately leading to professionals avoiding this "social situation"? Have we created a social media anxiety syndrome? We are aware of the social anxiety disorder or social phobia. Among its many features are (this is a convenient list for the purpose of this post and not a strict definition):
Last summer, I joined millions of others in the deluge of social media. I committed one year of effort to see if social would enhance or distract from my pediatric practice.
That was my goal, just one year.
At that time, I wanted to dip my foot in the pool, and see if it made any ripples. The unexpected consequence was how much social media has changed my medical practice, and ...
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The Facebook Kawasaki diagnosis story is a wonderful one. In case you’ve not heard, a 4-year-old boy with a fever and facial swelling was misdiagnosed by his pediatrician. When his mother went to Facebook to share photos of the poor, pumpkin-headed child, three of the mom’s Facebook friends told her that he had Kawasaki disease. They implored her to take him to the ER. She acquiesced and took her ...
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Many physicians intentionally choose to avoid online social networking websites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Physicians want to maintain their privacy and they don’t want patients “finding” them on these public sites.
If you’re thinking about a career transition or if you’re looking for non-clinical jobs that may provide supplemental income, it is very important to expand your social network by engaging others on social networking websites. There are ...
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"A comprehensive and extremely useful roadmap for doctors."
-Eric Topol, MD, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine
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Past 6 Months
Dear lawmakers: This is what it’s like to be a doctor today
Matthew Moeller, MD | PhysicianA gun owner responds to Sandy Hook
Edwin Leap, MD | PhysicianIs Chris Christie too obese to run for president?
Jeffrey Parks, MD | PhysicianIf I’m wrong about guns, can you please explain why?
Claire McCarthy, MD | PhysicianPrimary care doctors may no longer be needed
Doug Olson, MD | PhysicianWalgreens moves into primary care, and it’s our own damn fault
Kevin Pho, MD | Kevin's Take