Social Media for Cardiologists

5/10/2017 0800

Nine out of 10 Americans are using the Internet in America these days, and 78% of digital media is being used through smartphones. A huge percentage of this use is for medical engagement, both on the side of the public (i.e. patients) as well as physician usage.

Up to 83% of physicians using for promotion, prescribing, and following reviews. Social media, in particular, is used for networking, learning, and engagement. Many physicians use this to discuss interesting cases, and journals / societies are now publishing and promoting their information.

Use of a hashtag during national scientific meetings allows for tracking of particular topics. For example, following #SCAI2017 would allow someone who is not at a meeting to follow along.

Some tips for posting on Social Media:
Don't Lie, Don't Pry
Don't Cheat, Can't Delete
Don't Steal, Don't Reveal

Being accurate, not breaking HIPPA rules, and asking permission (both from patients and through your hospital system) is important to make sure that posts don't come back to "bite you." It's best, when you're starting out, to simply observe (rather than post) for a while before you dive into the waters of posting.

The use of Social Media for education is one of its most powerful reasons to access and promote topics of interest. Fellows can be directed to search for particular hashtags (e.g. #STEMI, #transradial, etc) as a way of quickly accessing information on a particular cardiology topic.

Dr. Saferstein spoke about the power of social media to answer very specific scientific questions in a timely fashion. For instances, he was able to post how to engage a coronary through an Evolut TAVR and was able to both spread information and get feedback from a world wide audience. "It's a wonderful medium to ask questions and engage interest. You find yourself posting what's interesting to you." The #radialfirst movement is one example of how social media has been used to promote interest in a particular area of interventional cardiology.

Dr. Rao, who was initially averse to being on social media, has really come into his own on the Twitter scene. He uses it to disseminate information on transradial intervention. A lot of what he was doing through email and text (getting input from colleagues about different cases) is now being done through social media (predominantly Twitter), using it as a platform to show cases, explain tips, and solicit feedback about cases.

Social media is here to stay, and we need to be aware of it, and leverage it for our (and our patients') benefits.

Jeffrey M. Schussler, MD, FACC, FSCAI