Blogging And You
S. Kubetin; 11/01/10

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. – Social networking supplies a way to interact with your patients and the local community, whether you practice within an HMO or privately, according to Dr. Jeffrey Benabio, a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego.

Regardless of what your niche, the concepts of using social media for example weblogs, Facebook, and Twitter as tools for enhancing patient care will apply. “Online patient communities are an ascendent means for patients to find out about their disease, and look for guidance and comfort from other people like them,” Dr. Benabio said in an interview. “Physicians can be a part of this discussion and add to it. Who better to advise individuals on how to live with pain, live with deformity, deal with insurance providers, than physicians?”

It takes no cash except plenty of time for you to build social networks. So why hassle? “Patients are going online to communicate with their doctors, and we're not there. Whereas patients always had to come to us to understand about disease and health, now these people get the majority of their facts on the web. Our absence online perpetuates a trend of diminishing importance of our profession,” he explained.

As with much in life, the secret to being successful on the web comes down to appearing. “A doctor becomes a reliable member of the community by remaining present. Over time, regular blog articles, Facebook updates, and Tweets allow the audience to become familiar with you.

If you choose to post, focus on information that's helpful and informative to your audience. You can discuss medications and non–Food and Drug Administration uses of drugs – as long as you do not provide actual medical advice, and are evident about any disclosures and disclaimers, Dr. Benabio said.

Google yourself and see what you find.“It's as vital to be a trustworthy member of the network as it's to become a trusted person in your actual community,” Dr. Benabio stated.

Regardless of the possibilities offered by establishing an online existence, remember that you are well on a slippery slope, he said. “This is a critical time when we are trying to demonstrate our value as practitioners. The more at ease people are with nonphysicians, the harder it will likely be for all of us to fight nonphysicians' growth of their scope of practice.”