Social Media Tips for Physicians

by Susan Bernstein •

“Also: Don’t feed the trolls. Trolls are those people who tend to be negative, want to detract from your message, or have their own agenda,” she said. Reply once to negative responses to clarify your message or ask them to clarify their comment. If the person continues to argue with you, gracefully allow them to have the last word.

“Know that you can delete your tweets later. Think twice, post once,” she said. “If you’re thinking about deleting or that it wasn’t a good idea to tweet something, delete it. You can always repost it after you’ve thought it through.”

Susan Bernstein is a freelance medical writer based in Georgia.

Take-Home Points

  • Select a username that includes your name.
  • Post a professional photo or one others can recognize as you.
  • Include your institution’s name in your bio.
  • Tweet at least once so your account looks legitimate.
  • Follow professional journals, medical societies, fellow doctors in your specialty, and accounts outside of your “filter bubble,” or topics you always read about.
  • Use hashtags such as #ENTSurgery or #IAMOTO to attract others to your tweets or to curate your search.
  • Follow your Twitter “notifications” to see how others react to your posts.
  • Use caution when tweeting details or photos related to a specific case, even if you don’t use a patient’s name.
  • Watch out for “trolls.” Clarify your message if someone questions your position, but refrain from engaging in combative and unproductive dialogue.