Social Media for GPs Dr M S Krishnan
Social Media for GPs
Dr M S Krishnan
Awareness & Training
Survey 2011
88% medical students and 80% of Foundation doctors have noticed colleague acting ‘unprofessionally’ on Facebook.
50% of foundation doctors, 26% medical students and NONE of the senior staff grades were aware of existence of guidelines
Conclusion
Need wider education
Lets Get to the Nitti Gritty
GMC
Royal Colleges
GMC Good Medical Practice
Benefits
Opinions
Discussions
Chat sessions
Crowd sourcing
Developing networks
Community activities
Sharing information
What you need to consider
Contextual features – your environment, including your home and working conditions, community, culture, laws and regulatory frameworks
Attitudinal features – your capabilities, values, feelings and personal ethics
Scientific features – your critical, evidence-based approach and your commitment to lifelong learning and to quality improvement.
Things to consider
Your Image, professional stature
Personal Vs Professional
Maintain respect, dignity and compassion
Show your human side
Be mindful others are watching you
Engage with public but be cautious to give specific personal advice
Contribute your expertise, share your knowledge and of all have FUN!!!
My Experience
Old Age Psychiatry conference
#icanpreventDELIRIUM
Who is on social media?
Times are changing!
Group 2007 2015
Proportion of UK internet users with a social
media profile
30% 81%
Proportion of 35-44 year olds with social
media profile
12% 80%
Proportion of 55-64 year olds with social
media profile
5% 50%
Social media – why not?
Please talk to the person next to you for a couple of minutes and discuss
1.why you’re here in this session – and
2.what’s stopped you using social media in your professional life up to now.
Why not – typical reasons
1. Don’t have the time
2. Don’t know where to start
3. Don’t have the confidence
4. Don’t see the benefits
5. Do see the risks
Why use twitter for work purposes?
1. Be first to hear news and views
2. Join the debate about issues you care about
3. Share with peers: what works, new breakthroughs, useful data, a useful event or publication
4. Learn from peers: all of the above
5. It’s quick, easy and convenient when you get the hang of it
An introduction to twitter
About twitter
Twitter has millions of accounts which belong to people, groups and organisations.
Twitter lets you
Follow the accounts of people/groups/organisations you are interested in.
In terms of engaging with others, you can
Respond to a tweet with a direct message
Respond to a tweet with your own question, comment or point of view
Re-tweet a comment
‘Like’ a comment
Set up a twitter account
Step 1: Get a twitter handle
Ideally make it should be short, memorable, identifiable
Avoid making it long, bland
Examples:
@wesselys
@drkatelovett
@dradrianjames
Set up a twitter account
Step 2: find a photo of yourself
If using twitter for professional reasons,
choose this wisely!
Set up a twitter account
Step 3: create a ‘bio’ – a little bit about
you
You’ve set up a profile – let’s follow some
people! Tips
1.Some obvious places to start: @wendyburn, @wesselys, @drkatelovett
2.Your college: eg @RCGP
3.Orgs relating to your faculty: eg @dementiauk, @Age_Int
4.Others eg @rcpsych, @thelancet
5.Check out who’s following these Twitter profiles – they’re likely to be relevant to you (see next slide!)
6.If you’re not sure about following someone – don’t be shy! It’s not a major commitment, + if you follow lots of potential twitter users, you’ll get followed back.
You’re following people, some are
following you back…
Let’s talk about
Listening
Tweeting and re-tweeting
Managing your twitter feed
The people you’re following are tweeting hundreds of tweets per hour – how are you supposed to keep up?
You can’t read everything. But by dipping in and out you’ll find a way which works for you.
You can also
look at all tweets relating to a subject (using search)
see what’s ‘trending’, or
group your followers into ‘Lists’ based on their content.
Five top tips for all social media posts
1. Common sense: social media helps us work openly and connect – just remember to apply common sense.
2. Apply the same standards online as offline, whether acting in an official or personal capacity.
3. If in doubt, don’t post it.
4. Accuracy: check the accuracy and sensitivity of what you’re posting before submitting.
5. Permanent: remember once posted, it’s difficult to remove it.
Words of caution when responding
It pays to listen first and learn the rules of a social media space before engaging
Understand when a conversation should be taken offline
Do not engage with users who are aggressive or abusive
If you don’t know the answer to a question you’re asked, say so
If you have to think twice about posting, don’t. And always read your answers back
Never post in anger
Re-tweeting: why, and when?
You endorse the point of view
You want to share the tweet because it will help others (eg ‘New data says x’)
You want to help others to publicise their cause (Eg We’re raising £ for dementia sufferers)
You have something to add
Explaining # and @
# is used to create a space for a conversation
Eg #rcpsychIC is the # we use before and
during the Royal College’s International
Congress.
Users can click on or search for #rcpsychIC
to see all the comments everyone is making
about Congress.
Explaining # and @
Twitter users’ handles begin with @.
If you start a tweet with the handle, it doesn’t appear on other people’s feeds, eg @rcpsych please promote our conference.
If you include a handle later in the tweet it will appear in feeds, and draws attention to that person/org.
eg Great event #rcpsychIC thanks so much @rcpsych.
Twitter chats
This is when group of Twitter users meet at a set time to discuss a certain topic, using a designated # for each tweet.
A host typically poses questions and attendees provide their views.
Sometimes you may have a panel or individual and invite the audience to ask them questions.
How are you doing?
You can check on the amount of
engagement and activity on your twitter
profile via https://analytics.twitter.com
Let’s review
Don’t know where to start: set up a profile, go at your own pace
Don’t have the time: it doesn’t have to be a massive commitment
Don’t have the confidence: follow the advice.. Set up a profile and just watch until you build up confidence
Don’t see the benefits: Sharing, learning, contributing a voice
Do see the risks: There are things you can do to reduce any risks
Resources
GMC
RCGP
Thank You
@psychinformatic
Further reading
https://blog.bufferapp.com/twitter-tips-for-beginners
http://www.socialmediamakessense.co.uk/use-linkedin-
beginners/
https://blog.bufferapp.com/snapchat
Some added security Advice on securing your Twitter account:
https://myshadow.org/how-secure-your-twitter-account
Review your Twitter security settings.
https://twitter.com/settings/security
How to block a user
https://support.twitter.com/articles/117063-blocking-users-on-twitter