Doctors, Patients, and Social Media

I was thrilled to be on a panel with other experts in social media at the Sacramento Media Social Club. Experts like

• Liz Salmi, a brain cancer blogger and young adult cancer survivor – @thelizarmy
• Christian Hollingsworth, Founder/CEO of Smart Boy Designs and Social Media consultant for the Sacramento Valley affiliate of the Susan G Komen for the Cure – @smartboydesigns
• Katie Kreps, Team in Training Triathalon and Cycle Manager for the Greater Sacramento Area Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – @tntsacramento.

There were other people from health care systems like UC Davis and Sutter.

Questions and comments revealed that there is a need by patients which is not currently fulfilled. Patients want connections to their doctors and medical information that is easily accessible and available real-time. Already they are engaging with other patients with similar illnesses or problems and finding humanity in virtual encounters because it is through these shared experiences and unique understanding that one only can have having embarked on a similar journey.

The future of social media and the use of the internet to make medicine and doctors more human and rekindle the sacred relationship between a doctor and a patient are real. The potential to make the challenges patients face less frightening is there. The real question is what will it really look like? Will it be meaningful and full of tremendous value? Will it be meaningless and full of spam, misinformation, and more divisive?

Based on the discussion, the future looks quite bright.

It was my privilege to be there as a practicing doctor, writer, and blogger. Much more to learn and think about.

The entire panel discussion is here.

The photo here is by Christian.