In a recent session at the National Organization of Rheumatology Management’s 2021 Annual Conference, a presenter shared the benefits and risks of utilizing social media in professional health care capacities.

Austin Lee Chiang, MD MPH, assistant professor of medicine, Div. Gastroenterology & Hepatology, director, Endoscopic Bariatric Program, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, chief medical social media officer, Jefferson Health, founding president, Association for Healthcare Social Media, offered an overview of the health care social media ecosystem, which includes but isn’t limited to: societies, institutions, and journals; thought leaders and colleagues; and patients.

Data shows that global social media is increasing, up more than 13% from 2020 to 2021 alone. Dr Chiang shared further data from Hootsuite which shows more than 40% of internet users utilize social media for work purposes.

With so many networks available, Dr Chiang emphasized each social media platform has unique benefits for their respective purpose and audience. According to the data, Twitter seems to be the “best” platform for academic discussion, education, self-expression, and networking for colleagues, trainees, and patients, said Dr Chiang. Instagram seems to be most beneficial for education, creative expression, and marketing for both colleagues, and the public/patients.

Facebook remains a primarily patient-oriented platform for marketing and community building. LinkedIn is the best for colleague professional networking. Youtube and TikTok, are all best for the public/patients to educate themselves and as an outlet for creative expression. And lastly, reddit is the top choice for discussion among the public/patient population.

In Dr Chiang’s own social media journey, he discovered “erroneous information is easily perpetuated on social media”—something that may not be news to many. He also discovered that clinicians need to be on social media to be heard or they risk the narrative being controlled but others who may not be as qualified. He also found that most clinicians value incentives to participate in public dialogue.

“Clinicians also need guidance on how to responsibly and effectively use social media to prevent further erosion of trust in health care,” underscored Dr Chiang, noting that digital age communication is not sufficiently taught in medical school.

There are numerous benefits to using social media in a professional health care capacity. For example, journals/societies/news publications are able to stay on top of the latest updates in real time. These platforms also provide an opportunity for open discussion and networking with peers/leaders in respective fields.

The benefits also extend to those outside the industry in the form of marketing/education/recruitment, combatting physician rating sites, institution outreach, and potentially most importantly, humanizing the health care profession.

Using social media has the capacity to connect with different patient populations and sharing information with those who otherwise might not see it. Provided its used responsibly and vetted for accuracy, using social media could improve patient connection and understanding across the industry.