Regardless of its pitfalls, social media use can provide some stunning advantages for rheumatologists, in keeping with a presenter on the Biologic Therapies Summit.
“‘Dumpster fireplace’ is a time period individuals throw out loads once they speak about social media,” Adam J. Brown, MD, of the division of rheumatologic and immunologic illness on the Cleveland Clinic, informed attendees.
Platforms like Fb, X and TikTok can have a “detrimental affect” on individuals’s social well-being and reveal “quite a lot of clear negatives,” in keeping with Brown.
“It breeds horrible issues typically,” he stated.
Nonetheless, this could not solely deter well being care professionals from participating with them, as there are additionally advantages to be reaped, Brown added.
The primary potential profit, in keeping with Brown, is the potential to fight among the misinformation that’s rampant on social media. For instance of such misinformation, he cited actuality TV star Kim Kardashian and her promotion of a full-body MRI as a worthwhile well being intervention with no additional details about the rationale, value or potential dangers and advantages.
“There are not any obstacles to her scripting this,” Brown stated. “Most posts are about the advantages of sure interventions and posted by whoever needs to publish, whereas only a few posts speak concerning the harms of these interventions.”
The result’s that sufferers might come into the clinic advocating for that intervention for themselves, with little substantive details about it.
“You’ll be able to see how issues can go badly very, in a short time, with individuals spreading info once they don’t know what they’re speaking about,” Brown stated.
That is the place it may be helpful for the supplier to have interaction in social media, in keeping with Brown.
“Sufferers are utilizing social media for well being care info,” he stated. “They suppose they’ve a sure situation or may have some horrible facet impact that they noticed on social media. You may get a pulse on what’s being talked about and may keep forward of it.”
Social media also can help well being care professionals looking for to navigate the flood of credible info rising every day, Brown added.
In keeping with Brown, there are greater than 30,000 scientific journals total, with two articles revealed on-line each minute. The speed of those publications is rising by near 10% every year, whereas PubMed logs greater than 3 billion searches per 12 months.
“It’s more durable and more durable to comply with,” Brown stated. “Social media has grow to be very helpful in sorting by all of that info.”
Curators of data — together with physicians, researchers and different consultants within the discipline — recurrently comb by the journals and spotlight essentially the most clinically related knowledge and publish it on-line, he added.
“Medical conferences might be adopted,” Brown stated. “On-line quizzes and tutorials can be found.”
Social media platforms have additionally given rise to on-line journal golf equipment, the place trainees and long-time professionals alike can publish photos or talk about instances, in keeping with Brown.
“You may get completely different concepts on do a workup or deal with a affected person,” he stated.
“Discover a social media platform that’s best for you,” Brown added. “Whether it is used proper, it may be extraordinarily useful.”
Sources/Disclosures
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Brown A. The highs and lows of social media in rheumatology. Introduced at: Biologic Therapies Summit XI; Might 9-10, 2025 (hybrid assembly).
Disclosures:
Brown stories consulting for Amgen and educating and talking for Chemocentryx and Sanofi.
