1Īs social networking has evolved, medically focused professional communities have been established. 1 Only 10% of pharmacists use Twitter, and a search for “pharmacist” on LinkedIn identified 274,981 profiles.
1 Although this use is most often for personal communications, more than 90 pages on Facebook are related to the pharmacy profession, such as the Pharmacists Interest Page, the American Pharmacists Association, and the Cynical Pharmacist. 1 Surveys have shown that many pharmacists use Facebook.
1 Much of the growth in the professional use of social media among this group appears to involve pharmacist-specific social networks. Unlike physicians, pharmacists have been relatively slow to adopt social media. 8 However, both personal and professional use of social media by physicians is increasing. 9, 14 Nearly a third of physicians have reported participating in social networks. 9, 15Ī survey of more than 4,000 physicians conducted by the social media site QuantiaMD found that more than 90% of physicians use some form of social media for personal activities, whereas only 65% use these sites for professional reasons. 14, 15 A growing minority of physicians also uses social media to communicate directly with patients to augment clinical care. 9 There they can share cases and ideas, discuss practice management challenges, make referrals, disseminate their research, market their practices, or engage in health advocacy. Physicians most often join online communities where they can read news articles, listen to experts, research medical developments, consult colleagues regarding patient issues, and network. 6, 11, 14, 16 HCPs can use social media to potentially improve health outcomes, develop a professional network, increase personal awareness of news and discoveries, motivate patients, and provide health information to the community. Social media provide HCPs with tools to share information, to debate health care policy and practice issues, to promote health behaviors, to engage with the public, and to educate and interact with patients, caregivers, students, and colleagues. PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA BY HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS
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