The benefits and dangers of physicians using social media

Tropical vacation photos, engagement announcements and successful total hip replacements are all part of today's social media climate.

Physicians using social media have become more commonplace in the past few years.

Matthew Harb, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics in Washington, D.C., with over 360,000 followers on TikTok, spoke with Becker's about the benefits of social media and why physicians should use it.

"[Surgeons] get to spend so little time in the office with our patients that social media is a tool to connect in a different manner that patients almost feel like you're speaking directly to them. You build patient rapport better, and I think you develop a deeper and more trustworthy connection with the patients as well," Dr. Harb said.

Dr. Harb said social media not only is a great tool for building relationships with patients, but for attracting them to your practice as well.

"Personally, I've seen a huge number of patients actually come into my office from social media. I've had people fly from Texas, Mexico, Canada to come down and have surgery," Dr. Harb said.

Social media can be a great tool for physicians to grow their practice and market themselves, but when used incorrectly, it can be harmful.

According to Medscape's report, "Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?" 26 percent of physicians reported seeing other physicians behave inappropriately on social media.

"If 10 million people watch a video, there's going to be people who leave comments, and not all those comments are going to be positive or people who agree with what you're saying. Social media can be kind of a vicious place where everyone gets to voice their opinion. So you still have to carry yourself in a respectful and professional manner," Dr. Harb said.

The Medscape report stated that 80 percent of the inappropriate online acts physicians engaged in were making inappropriate comments about themselves, friends and politics.

"There is a lot of immature content that does sometimes get posted on social media so you have to run your social media like you run your business: in a professional and respectful manner," Dr. Harb said.

How can physicians be social media smart?

"Every physician practices differently. I think for someone who doesn't really know the social media landscape, you have to know what the boundaries are. You have to carry yourself on social media like you would in an office setting or hospital. So you have to do it in a mature and respectful manner," Dr. Harb said.

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