Join us Tuesday, September 11 at 3:00pm ET for a live, interactive tweetchat with Mikhail Varshavski, DO, better known as “Dr. Mike,” on the importance of connecting not only with other healthcare providers, but patients, on social media, based on his recent PW blog post of the same name. Topics to be discussed are subject to change but will likely include:
- Why, as Dr. Mike writes in the aforementioned blog post, he feels it is rare to see evidence-based physicians with significant followings across social media.
- Why—according to the findings of a recent American Osteopathic Association (AOA) survey (https://osteopathic.org/2018/05/14/survey-finds-patients-want-to-be-friends-with-their-physicians-on-social-media/)—expanding physician voices into social media is desired by patients.
- Why, as a result of the above survey, the AOA stated that expanding physician voices into social media should also be encouraged by the industry?
- The magnitude of the missed benefits and true harms that come from a scarcity of physicians publishing on social media.
- How physicians can use the relatively untapped potential to positively influence billions of people provided by social media to battle medical misinformation.
- Why the thin line between advising on a patient’s individual condition and discussing that condition in general should not discourage dedicated physicians from disseminating valuable information on social media.
- Why Dr. Mike writes in his PW blog post that healthcare professionals’ failure to influence social media is responsible for the rise of misinformation online.
- What steps healthcare professionals who are already on social media can/should take to get more involved in engaging/educating patients through Twitter and other social media platforms.
- More…
How to Join the Chat
- Log into your Twitter account. Don’t have an account? Where have you been?! Just kidding, we don’t judge, but you should get one! It’s easy to create, and free. You’ll be glad you did.
- A couple minutes before 3:00pm ET on September 11, Search Twitter (top right of every Twitter page) for #PWChat.
- On the search results page, click Latest at the top left. This will show you all the latest tweets using the #PWChat hashtag. The page will automatically update every couple minutes, letting you know how many new tweets there are using the #PWChat hashtag. Alternately, you can refresh the page every minute or so to see any new tweets using the #PWChat hashtag.
- Answer questions, reply to other’s comments, or make a comment of your own as much and as often as you like. Just make sure to leave room in include #PWChat to make sure what you tweet is included in the chat. Otherwise, it won’t be seen.
- While you’re at it, be sure to follow @physicianswkly and @RealDoctorMike!
About Dr. Mike
Dr. Mikhail Varshavski, better known as “Dr. Mike,” is a primary care physician at Chatham Family Medicine. He believes in preventive care and in educating individuals on how small lifestyle changes can make a big impact on quality of life as well as health outcomes. Dr. Mike has expanded his influence as a physician far beyond the walls of his practice. Through his rapidly-growing social media presence, Dr. Mike motivates, inspires and advises millions of followers and fans. His social media posts, YouTube channel, face-to-face encounters, speaking engagements and appearances on network news shows — which includes ABC’s Good Morning America and Nightline – all prescribe a healthy dose of honest medical advice. His work raises awareness on a broad range of health issues and offers tips on how to reduce cancer risks, improve nutrition, incorporate exercise, apply new ways to reduce stress, and, in general, learn how to live a better life.
Follow him on Instagram: @Doctor.Mike and on Snapchat/Twitter/Facebook: @RealDoctorMike.
