The use of social media to make medical decisions is a growing trend in the healthcare industry. In the context of patients, around 80% of social media users utilize these sites to research hospitals, physicians, and medical conditions (1). Social media and other online platforms are significant sources of health information, whether accurate or not. Similarly, many doctors have also begun to integrate social media into their medical decision making. One common form of this phenomenon is found within closed messaging boards, such as Facebook or Whatsapp groups, within which physicians connect with others in their specialty, ask clinical questions, network, offer advice, and inform others about developments in their research (2, 3). Although social media usage for medical purposes has been increasing in popularity for over a decade, the practice remains controversial, especially when it comes to clinical decision making, with doctors standing on either side of the debate.
Opponents argue that this practice is ineffective at best and dangerous at worst. First, consulting social media for decision making has been called a “waste of time,” as it may be difficult to verify the expertise of individuals who offer advice and may cause doctors to spend more time on social media in general (4). Second, consulting social media may lead to the violation of patient privacy, such as the inclusion of confidential information or photos in physicians’ posts, accidental or otherwise (4, 5). Third and most importantly, this practice may lead to the dissemination of harmful information. One study found that roughly 4% of answers to clinical questions posted to physician discussion board threads were unsafe, while 28% were unhelpful (3). Although the majority of posts were both safe and helpful, it remains difficult to prevent and remove unsafe advice.
On the other hand, proponents argue that social media allows physicians to publish and access information in historically unprecedented ways (5, 6). Primarily, physicians can publish data and submit findings to their peers without going through the journal review process, which enables faster dissemination of information and encourages inter-institutional collaboration (4, 7). Additionally, physicians can network with others at any time instead of waiting for annual conferences or working in isolation, which may help them feel supported, connected, and able to avoid burnout (5, 7). Finally, one of the most helpful uses of this practice is consultation. After physicians have exhausted every source of information and yet failed to answer a complicated clinical question, they can consult others in their specialty, which may give them valuable insight and information (3, 6, 7). So far, the vast majority of answers posted in clinical question threads have been found to be safe and helpful, which has led some physician organizations to endorse or consider the use of closed social media groups in clinical practice (5, 6).
In this new era of technology, social media will continue to grow in the lives of physicians and patients. Roughly 65% of physicians use social media for professional reasons, with nearly one third involved in professional networks (8). Thus, the usage of social media in doctors’ decision making seems to be here to stay, but providers must take steps to protect patient privacy and limit unsafe and unhelpful posts. Proposed mechanisms include verifying a group member’s expertise, focusing on facts, acknowledging limitations of knowledge and expertise, maintaining patient confidentiality even in closed messaging groups, and developing institutional social media training (5, 7). For now, physicians who use social media in decision making should exercise caution when abiding by online advice and report violations of patient privacy. Although this practice carries significant privacy and safety concerns, it also provides unprecedented benefits; therefore, care must be taken given the power of this technological tool.
References
1: Kanchan, S., Muacevic, A. and Adler, J. 2023. Social media role and its impact on public health: a narrative review. Cureus, vol. 15(1). DOI: 10.7759/cureus.33737.
2: Samarkandy, S., Samargandy, S., Abbas, R., Alshareef, A., Nassar, N. and Alharbi, A. 2023. Physicians’ attitude and perception towards social media consultation. Cureus, vol. 15(1). DOI: 10.7759/cureus.33671.
3: Bernardi, K., Milton, A., Hope, W., Roth, J., Shah, S., Shah, P., Lyons, N., Martin, A., Holihan, J., Cherla, D., Ko, T., Hughes, T., Liang, M. and Social Media in Surgery and Medicine Study Group. 2019. Are online surgical discussion boards a safe and useful venue for surgeons to ask for advice? A review of the International Hernia Collaboration Facebook Group. Surgical Endoscopy, vol. 34. DOI: 10.1007/s00464-019-06895-8.
4: DeCap, M. and Cunningham, A. 2013. Social media: the way forward or a waste of time for physicians? Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, vol. 43. DOI: 10.4997/JRCPE.2013.411.
5: Bittner, J., Logghe, H., Kane, E., Goldberg, R., Alseidi, A., Aggarwal, R. and Jacob, B. 2018. A Society of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) statement on closed social media (Facebook) groups for clinical education and consultation: issues of informed consent, patient privacy, and surgeon protection. SAGES Statement, vol. 33. DOI: 10.1007/s00464-018-6569-2.
6: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). 2019. Professional use of digital and social media. ACOG Committee Opinion, no. 791. URL: https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2019/10/professional-use-of-digital-and-social-media#.
7: Connell, N., Weyand, A. and Barnes, G. 2022. Use of social media in the practice of medicine. The American Journal of Medicine, vol. 135. DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2021.08.030.
8: Ventola, C. 2014. Social media and health care professionals: benefits, risks, and best practices. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, vol. 39. URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103576/.