Communicating With Patients in the Digital Age

WHAT EVERY PHYSICIAN NEEDS TO KNOW:

COMMUNICATING WITH PATIENTSIN THE DIGITAL AGE

WHAT’S CHANGED?

• Digitalandsocialmediasuchaswebsites,socialnetworks,blogs,andonlinecommunitiesareuniversalinourlives.

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INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE

AccordingtothePewResearchCenter:•84%ofU.S.adultsusetheInternet*

•71%ofonlineadultsusesocialmediasites*

2*http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/06/26/americans-internet-access-2000-2015http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/09/social-media-update-2014/

INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE

• ThewidespreaduseofsitessuchasTwitter,Facebook,Google+,YouTube,Instagram,Pinterest,Slideshare,LinkedIn,Yelp,andHealthgradesbringsunprecedentedconnectivitytophysiciansandpatients.

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PHYSICIAN SOCIAL MEDIA USE3

AccordingtotheJournal of Medical Internet Research*:

•61%ofphysiciansusesocialmediaonceaweekormoretolookforinformation.

•46%saytheycontributenewinformationonsocialmediaonceperweekormore.

*http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/01/01/docs-often-use-social-media-on-the-job-survey

SMARTPHONES

Smartphonesarefurtherfuelingtheriseinconnectivity.•2/3ofAmericansnowownsmartphones*andtheyusethemtowatchvideos,listentomusicorpodcasts,andforsocialnetworking.

• Smartphonesarealsofuelingtheriseofvideo.Becausesmartphonesmakeiteasytowatchandsharevideos,peoplearereadinglessandwatchingmore.

4*http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/03/PI_Smartphones_0401151.pdf

ONLINE VIDEOS578%ofadultsonlinewatchordownloadvideo.*

• Theyarewatchingvideosthatanswerspecificquestions,suchas“WhatcanIexpectaftermycolonoscopy?”or“ShouldIhaveaPSAscreening?”

*http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/10/10/video-the-rise-of-online-video/

YOUTUBE6• YouTubeisnowthenumbertwosearchengineafterGoogle.

• MorepeoplesearchonYouTubethanYahooorBingcombined.

• HospitalsystemsandphysicianshavebeenusingYouTube—inadditiontotheirwebsitesandblogs—toeducatetheiraudiences.

• TheMayoClinicYouTubechannelcurrentlyhasmorethan3,600videoswiththan20millionviews.

TWITTER AS A NEWS SOURCE7

• Twitternowhasmorethan200millionactiveuserswhopostmorethan400milliontweetsaday.

• Twitterhasbecomethe“new”newswireandmillionsofpeoplenowrelyonitasanewssource.

• IthassupplantedtheAssociatedPress,DowJones,andBloombergforbreakingnews.

CHANGING EXPECTATIONS8

Moreandmore,patientswanttointeractwithphysiciansonline.

• Onlineinformationshouldbeup-to-date,reliable,andeasilyaccessible.

• Physiciansmustconstantlyadapttheironlinepresencetomeettheseneeds.

CHANGING EXPECTATIONS

• Awebsitewithoutdatedcontentcanmakeyourhealthcareorganizationlookunprofessionalandirrelevant.

• Credibilitycanbelostbysimplynotkeepingawebsiteup-to-date.

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CHANGING EXPECTATIONS

Inadditiontokeepingyourwebsiteupdated,considerthefollowingtohelpconnectwithpatientsonline.

• CreateandmanageaLinkedInprofile.• Updateyourprofileinformationonphysicianreviewsites.

• Createyourownblogorcontributetoyourhospitalorspecialtysocietyblog.

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PROTECTION FOR A NEW ERA OF

MEDICINEABOUT TMLT:Withmorethan17,500physiciansinitscare,TexasMedicalLiabilityTrust(TMLT)providesmalpracticeinsuranceandrelatedproductstophysicians.Ourpurposeistomakeapositiveimpactonthequalityofhealthcareforpatientsbyeducating,protecting,anddefendingphysicians.www.tmlt.org

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