One of the top reasons doctors don't use social media: it takes too much time

A few thoughts from my Twitter account:

One of the top reasons (not the only reason) why doctors don't use social media is that it takes "too much time". For example, no practicing physician has the time to "argue for hours" over the content of single 140-character tweet.

To dispel a few misconceptions:

- Medical news tweets are not research articles - they are 140-character messages - therefore always go to the original source/links, etc.

- Tweets and links do not represent endorsement, approval or support. Tips for webmasters: when talking about endorsements, link to them. Please see top right sidebar of http://allergycases.org for an example.

- Medical blogs are not a source of "actionable" medical information. The same principle applies to Wikipedia. You must be treated by an expert - not a "crowd" - as in the "wisdom of crowds" concept used by Wikipedia.

Until recently, I did not think that anybody would need a course how to use Twitter but it looks like social media should probably be on medical school curricula. Looking at some recent social media "disasters", future doctors need to know how handle criticism in public on Twitter, blogs, etc. Social media is a different medium by definition and it may require different skills. Common sense and application of values of the profession are paramount but social media is a new area and many otherwise reasonable people mishandle it without even noticing - in "real time."

Educators should focus on several aspects of social media (SM), not just the receiving end - RSS, podcasts, etc. SM in its current form is very different from face to face communication, phone call or even email. SM education should cover both professionalism and information use.

Medical librarians are the ones that should take the lead and teach medical students about social media because they are best "equipped" to do it. The whole job description of a medical librarian has changed - it should be a "medical information specialist"...

Where to start?

For doctors: How to be a Twitter star in two easy steps

Related reading

The only way to preserve the wisdom of the crowd is to protect the independence of the individual. WSJ, 2011.

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

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5 healthy habits for your children

From Consumer Reports Health Blog: As your tots, tweens, and teens head back to school, you won’t be there to watch their every move—but you can still send them off to the classroom or dorm with some good habits:

1. Eat your veggies.
2. Get some Zzzz’s.
3. Use sunscreen.
4. Drink more milk.
5. Wash your hands.


Video: Children and Sedentary Lifestyle, by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Video: Stop texting while driving. Terrifying. All drivers should watch this.

Video: Stop texting while driving http://bit.ly/S6osm - Terrifying. All drivers should watch this. Warning: This video may not be suitable for minors. From BBC: "Gwent Police hope a shocking film about the consequences of texting while driving will help prevent crashes. The film, which was made by Peter Watkins-Hughes, stars young local actors and is expected to be shown in schools." The risk of a car accident increases by 50% for people who text message while driving. http://bit.ly/6noXG CBS: "Meet a teen who averages 5,000 text messages a month -- while driving"

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Related: Stay Alive, Don't Text and Drive Texting while driving -- it's not just teens http://bit.ly/1oeixu Texting to Death. NYT, 2009. Americans turning their cars into wired offices claiming efficiency far outweigh the risk of a wreck. http://bit.ly/h7PdH

25% of Adults Admit to Texting While Driving http://goo.gl/Were

AT&T Don't Text While Driving Documentary (video). Texting drivers deserve more than a fine - Chicago Tribune http://buff.ly/1mdoTVT Updated: 11/30/2013

Social Media Related Tweets and Insights

From my Twitter account:

Half of the most popular Google search queries are predictable , with a mean absolute prediction error of 12% http://bit.ly/11QH9Z

Pediatrician uses YouTube to replace some educational talks he gives to patients/parents for common office visits http://bit.ly/Xev15

Study: 40% of Twitter messages are "pointless babble." http://bit.ly/ug5wg - Only 40%? Only 8.7% of Twitter messages have "value" as they passed along news of interest http://bit.ly/ug5wg

BBC: Labour party appoints a "Twitter tsar" to boost its online campaigning http://bit.ly/15wZf2

According to @SeeFisch: "VA Hospitals. The MOST cost effective system in USA. 100% government run"

Video: "Motorcycle Texting" http://bit.ly/4ntiEH - It's not "funny" at all despite the video title. Video: Stop texting while driving http://bit.ly/S6osm - Terrifying. All drivers should watch this.

"Trial of a WhiteCoat – Epilogue" http://bit.ly/179Q8o - The end of the series.

If Twitter Consisted of 100 People: Stats in Graphics http://bit.ly/1aztVm

Tweets are not research articles - they are 140-character messages - please always go to the original source, links, etc. The inclusion of a Twitter update (tweet) is not an endorsement or agreement of any kind. Tweets and links do not represent endorsement, approval or support. Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

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Health News of the Day

Health News of the Day is a daily summary made from the selected links I post on Twitter. It is in a bullet points format with links to the original sources which include 350 RSS feeds that produce about 2,500 items per day.

A single pinch of snuff (smokeless tobacco) has the same amount of dangerous chemicals found in 5 cigarettes. Sales of moist snuff have doubled since the 1980s, many users mistakenly believe the products are less hazardous. Smokeless tobacco/snuff contains an additional 21 smoke-related polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Smokeless tobacco contains 28 cancer-causing substances http://bit.ly/2OsWQ

Traces of cocaine taint up to 90% of paper money in the United States. Paper money become contaminated with cocaine during drug deals and directly through drug use, such as snorting cocaine through rolled bills. Amounts of cocaine found on U.S. bills ranged from .006-1,240 micrograms of cocaine per banknote (50 grains of sand) http://bit.ly/27V5Yt

6 clinical pediatric vignettes to be used for teaching and learning of basic medical Spanish http://bit.ly/wCrHG

Cut pesticide intake by going organic on dirtiest produce (apples, lettuce) & conventional on cleanest (kiwi, tomatoes) http://bit.ly/189lRm

What Killed Mozart? http://bit.ly/3dF9Hv - Acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis? Mozart may have died of strep throat complications http://bit.ly/1aClSo - The Death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: An Epidemiologic Perspective http://bit.ly/YQrnx

Smoking Worsens Multiple Sclerosis http://bit.ly/YN35k

Distressed 'type D' personality associated with mortality risk in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) http://bit.ly/I0BCx

Average adult video game enthusiast is 35 years old and more overweight and less healthy than average http://bit.ly/2TG8A6

Lisinopril blocked development of multiple sclerosis in laboratory mice http://bit.ly/bMMD9

"Do the menstrual cycles of women living together tend to synchronize?" http://bit.ly/6Z7e8 Cycle synchronization might be reality (or not)

Study: For Short Kids, No Lack of Self-Esteem http://bit.ly/nJMcQ

CNN: Policy change: Doctors who shun insurance http://bit.ly/PRRFS

Psychology blog: Why brainstorming is ineffective and how to fix it. http://bit.ly/NvTl1

Medical news tweets are not research articles - they are 140-character messages - please always go to the original source, links, etc. The inclusion of a Twitter update (tweet) is not an endorsement or agreement of any kind. Tweets and links do not represent endorsement, approval or support. Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

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