Physicians need to be active on social media and other communication platforms to offset the noise of the anti-science movement. I am speaking at the New Zealand Anaesthesia Annual Scientific Meeting in Queenstown this week [August 21-24, 2019] on the role of social media and medicine. There has been a growing anti-science movement, and physicians have a moral imperative to stand up for science and evidence-based treatments. “Surveys show that physicians are one of the most trusted professions in the eyes of the public. Yet most people in the world today get their information, including health information, from the internet. We have to be there to offset the noise. We can’t ignore where our patients get their information, and we can join the conversation.” Social media also offers a way for doctors to keep up-to-date with the latest research and new treatments. One example is the exponential growth of regional anaesthesia. Regional anaesthesia allows procedures to be done without the patient being unconscious and can provide targeted pain relief. “We have more tools at our disposal. New blocks are being performed and described every month and it’s hard to keep up with the literature. Social media allows you to be part of a learning community made up of people who have similar interests and it can curate information for you.”

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#NZASM19 #AQUA19
The Role of Social Media
in Modern Medicine
Edward R. Mariano, M.D., M.A.S.
Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine
Chief, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care
Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System

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Financial Disclosures
• None.

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• Social media is a tool.
• Please don’t judge a tool based on certain users

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Social Media

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Social Media
Unfortunately
Not Enough Time to Do
Justice to This Topic

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Now Free Open Access!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5798897/

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http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/0
3/01/social-media-use-in-2018/

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Overview
• Social Media for Community Engagement
• Social Media for Public Awareness

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Overview
• Social Media for Community Engagement
• Social Media for Public Awareness

10. How Do You Keep Up?

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I Joined Twitter in 2013

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http://www.edmariano.com/archives/926
Infographic by Dr. Kellie Jaremko
@Neuro_Kellie
Observe Interactions
Discover Interesting Questions

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Twitter vs. Facebook
• Social media survey distributed at the ASRA 2017 spring annual
meeting
• 46 responded
–For personal use:
• Twitter (34%) vs. Facebook (72%)
–For professional use:
• Twitter (53%) vs. Facebook (17%)
Schwenk & Mariano, et al. Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim 2018 Feb;65(2):103

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Virtual Collaboration Sample Publications (last 2 years)
@OReillyShah, @JWill_PediACCM Moving anesthesiology educational resources to the point of care
@amit_pawa, @kaohesham Interfascial Plane Blocks: Back to Basics
@sgmemtsoudis Association of Multimodal Pain Management Strategies with Perioperative
Outcomes and Resource Utilization: A Population-based Study
@ESchwenkMD, @larrychu,
@dr_rajgupta
How Social Media is Changing the Practice of Regional Anesthesiology
@ChrisPrabhakar Pecto-intercostal Fascial Block for Acute Poststernotomy Pain: A Case Report
@ThePeopleDr The Perioperative Surgical Home Is Not Just a Name
@Bubu84csa Continuous regional anesthesia: a review of perioperative outcome benefits
@ESchwenkMD, @Neuro_Kellie,
@dr_rajgupta, @ankeetudani,
@colinjmccartney, @AnneSnively
Upgrading a Social Media Strategy to Increase Twitter Engagement During the
Spring Annual Meeting of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and
Pain Medicine
@LloydTurbitt, @elboghdadly Future directions in regional anaesthesia: not just for the cognoscenti
@Neuro_Kellie, @ESchwenkMD,
@AmyPearsonMD, @jonhagedornmd,
@ankeetudani, @garyschwartzmd,
@nelkassabany @AnneSnively
Teaching an old pain medicine society new tweets: integrating social media
into continuing medical education

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#AnesJC
@ankeetudani

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Live Tweeting
Ekins & Perlstein. PLoS Comput Biol. 2014 Aug 21;10(8):e1003789

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Schwenk & Mariano, et al. RAPM 2017;42:283

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“Enhanced” Conference Experience

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Remember the “Rules”
• Never post when angry
• Strive for accuracy
• When in doubt, pause
• Don’t post anything that can identify a patient
• Ask for permission
• Assume beneficence
• Beware of “friending” patients
• Educate yourself
@DrJohnM (John Mandrola, MD)
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/05/10-simple-rules-doctors-social-media.html

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Overview
• Social Media for Community Engagement
• Social Media for Public Awareness

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https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/these-are-the-world-s-most-respected-professions/

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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/20/health/social-media-fake-news.html

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Del Vicario, et al. PNAS 2016;113:554

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Del Vicario, et al. PNAS 2016;113:554

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The Best Defense…

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https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/why-doctors-should-organize

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Tips for Tweeting
Ekins & Perlstein. PLoS Comput Biol. 2014 Aug 21;10(8):e1003789
Pro Tip:
Include a
Link
Pro Tip: Add
a Figure
Pro Tip: Tag People Who
May Be Interested

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Summary
• We discussed:
–Social Media for Community Engagement
–Social Media for Public Awareness

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Questions?