100 years ago, your HCPs read medical journals. Today, they're on social media. Posting, liking, tweeting and retweeting. And they are never going back.

Why do clinicians love social media? 3 reasons:

1. Conversations with colleagues

2. News and research updates

3. Influence and status

Conversations with colleagues 

For HCPs, Twitter is a real-time conversation platform. 

As explained by Dr. Jeffrey Millstein, "Twitter allows me to exchange ideas with physicians and others around the world with whom I share career interests. I can float ideas, assess enthusiasm for topics, and even find potential partners for collaborative projects."

HCPs especially love Twitter polls. 

With polls, clinicians can share challenging cases and best practices. In the words of patient advocate Liza Bernstein, "the ability to rapidly ask and answer questions and share experiences and data can be a game changer."

News and research updates

For HCPs, Twitter offers quick news and research updates. 

As shared by gastroenterologist Dr. Keith Siau, there are several reasons why Twitter is better than medical journals:

Keith Siau @drkeithsiau

10 reasons why Twitter is replacing journals for opinion/education pieces: 1) ⬇️words 2) ⬆️pictures 🖼 3) ⬆️ 🎦 4) 👥 interaction 5) 🚫 Paywalls 🔐 6) 🚫 Submission fee 💵☹️ 7) 🚫 Delays ⏱ 8) 🚫 Rejections 😭🤞 9) Instant reviews from audience 🗣 10)🚫Reviewer 2 😈

10:34 PM ∙ Sep 25, 2020

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176Likes28Retweets

And Instagram offers great visuals.

From Dr. Michael Javid: "In the last 6 months, I have learned more medicine from Instagram than any other source." Here’s an example from critical care specialist Dr. Samantha Dallefeld:

samdeemd

A post shared by @samdeemd

Influence and status

For HCPs, Twitter offers unparalleled influence.

Clinicians can collaborate with peers worldwide. From anesthesiologist Dr. Ed Mariano: "I get feedback and peer review from colleagues around the world. After a recent publication that I tweeted, I received comments from anesthesiologists in Canada and Europe within an hour!"

Twitter can also raise your profile, leading to new opportunities. 

With over 18,500 followers, ​​medical oncologist Dr. Jack West serves as an advisor or consultant to 9 pharmaceutical companies including AZ, Celgene and Roche. 

Social media trends will continue

In 2020, we saw a 35% increase in the number of HCPs using social media for professional reasons. Today, 85% of oncologists and PCPs use social media. By 2026, 75% of clinicians will be digital natives.

They won't be reading medical journals. But they will be on Twitter and Instagram.

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