Question: How could Facebook or Twitter affect your clinical outcomes?
Answer: By giving you a way to stay in constant contact with your entire patient base in the digital age. What if a quick sentence helped one of your patients continue eating healthy or supported them through a rough patch in their plan to quit smoking or even served as a educated resource they could rely upon and trust over internet research? Wouldn’t that be worth 7-10 minutes a day? Well, get ready for the digital age because these vehicles are not only helping patients healthcare they are also helping them decide what doctors they are choosing. Patients want constant access to their provider. Social media turns your office visits into open and ongoing dialogue WITHOUT giving out your cell phone number!
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#1 by Michael R Nagel MD on February 15th, 2010
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You are not addressing the liability of not answering the electronic messages in a timely manner or missing a serious complaint being sent electronically.
Who is paying for the 5 minute messages that can amount to a more prolonged dialogue?
I feel that a patient deserves a doctor’s undivided attention in the office setting –not on the ethernet.
Michael Nagel, M.D., MPA, FACC
#2 by Dr. Scott on February 15th, 2010
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I think this is nice, in theory. It’s nice for the patient, yes. But when I get 30 people emailing me, posting comments on my facebook page, texting me questions, it gets time-consuming. If they ask a question knowing that I probably won’t have time to respond, that’s fine, but it’s when they expect an answer immediately, or are annoyed if I don’t respond – that’s another issue altogether. I don’t have enough hours in the day to treat the paying patients, let alone give advice and recommendations away for free…
#3 by Don L. McCord M.D. on February 16th, 2010
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I agree with Dr. Scott. This following is a quote from a letter to the editor of National Review Magazine:
“—the frantic noisy distractions and capricious dominance rituals of our high tech toys are transforming our species in a fundamental way, from brooding, contemplating great apes into clicking, chittering insects.”
#4 by Sherry Krueger on February 16th, 2010
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Giving your patients undivided or personal attention is what you do IN the office. This refers less to an individual and more to a group. For example if you could tell ALL of your patients somthing. Like we are now offering flu vaccines so make and appt. Or we are out of the H1N1 Vaccine, Or somthing even more personally encouraging to their health like To all my patients on the stop smoking program I know that this is a hard day. Dont give in and remebr tto get up and go get a glass of water when you feel the urge to smoke. On Facebook this would unite all of your like patients on a thread and let them talk amongst each other about their experiences. And it only took you 3 minutes for many of your patients to hear from you.
Sherry L. Krueger
http://www.hna-net.com