Posters

How social media presence can positively impact your reputation and your practice

Poster Details

First Author: B.Armstrong UAE

Co Author(s):                        

Abstract Details

Purpose:

Increasingly more of our patients are turning to social media (SM) for health care purposes. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of pertinent literature on the effects of SM presence on physician ratings/reviews and the physician/patient relationship.

Setting:

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi – Abu Dhabi, UAE

Methods:

We conducted a literature review to understand: (1) what are the positive and negative effects of SM engagement for a health care practice, (2) best practice recommendation on how to engage with our patients on social media and (3) what platforms are considered to be the most advantageous to utilize.

Results:

SM is used by nearly half of patients when selecting a physician. Physician SM presence, defined as public or business account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube, was correlated with an increased number of ratings/comments and higher scores on physician rating websites. Negative ratings are often inaccurate, and how a physician responds to negative comments can carry equal or more weight than positive consumer engagement. A personal website is the single most important platform to improve physician ratings. Unfortunately, most physicians are still hesitant to immerse themselves more fully in SM due to worries about public access and legal concerns.

Conclusions:

Social media interaction, if used appropriately, was found to positively affect the relationship between the physician and patient. A physician’s reputation can be negatively impacted by an unmanaged online or social media profile. Social media can be a powerful tool to educate your patients, connect with new patients and colleagues, and address negative or inaccurate critiques.

Financial Disclosure:

None