Nicola Ziady

Personal v Professional Physician Social Media

Nicola Ziady — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:52:03 +0000

Personal use surpasses professional use when it comes to physicians on social media. Today, more doctors use two or more social media platforms for personal purposes compared with social sites used for professional purposes.

Almost 90% of physicians use at least one site for personal use and over 65% for professional purposes.

As a profession, doctors have a significant interest in the potential applications of social media to patients and other clinicians. They illustrate interest in online physician communities and patient communities that may facilitate doctor-patients interactions.

A small group of “connected clinicians”, use multiple social media platforms for both personal and professional use.

Key points from this QuantiaMD study ::
• The majority of doctors are already using social media. Facebook is the most popular medium for personal use, with online physician communities are more popular for professional use.

• Doctors who are familiar with patient portals or communities agree that they have a positive impact an individual’s health – but awareness of these social media sites is very low.

• 28% of doctors use professional physician communities, with the goal to confer, refer and learn from experts.

• Clinicians approve and see the benefit of electronic interactions with patients to improve access and quality of care, but many are concerned about patient privacy, liability and compensation for these activities.

• There remains a very significant need for secure and convenient forms of interactive communication tools that doctors can use to talk with each other and patients.

• 20% of clinicians use 2 or more social media sites for personal and professional use. These so-called “Connected Clinicians” are very eager to use social media to improve health care.

Source :: “Doctors, Patients & Social Media,” QuantiaMD” September 2011

Number of sites	Personal use	Professional use
1 site	33%	41%
2 or more sites	54%	26%
Total	87%	67%

Popular social media sites ::
This QuantiaMD survey of more than 4,000 physicians broke down what sites they used for professional and personal use.

Site	Professional use	Personal use
Facebook	15%	61%
YouTube	8%	31%
Physician communities	28%	18%
LinkedIn	17%	19%
Google+	8%	15%
Blogs	8%	14%
Twitter	3%	9%
Patient communities	3%	2%
None of the above	33%	13%

5 differences in traditional & social media

Nicola Ziady — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:08:27 +0000

Social Media is the new kid on the block. The old ladies on the street are afraid of it.

But could social media have a “nice” side, one we would invite for tea on Sunday afternoons?

Lets talk briefly about what exactly the differences are between traditional media and social media?

[1] limited geography	[1] extensive geography
[2] limited shelf life	[2] extensive shelf life
[3] limited timeframe	[3] unlimited timeframe
[4] limited impact	[4] unlimited impact
[5] one way conversation	[5] multi way conversations

The new “house visit” … telehealth in 2012

Nicola Ziady — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:04:40 +0000

Investing in telehealth is key for hospital success in 2012.

Telehealth will lower cost and widen the reach of clinicians and will become a major differentiator for hospitals this year. Busy, tech savvy patients want more access to healthcare and as providers we have to go where our patients already are … at home!

According to American Hospitals Association 70% of the “most wired” hospitals in America already provide telehealth.

Leading this new strategy is England, where the National Health Service [NHS] has implemented a telehealth project, entitled “3 Million Lives”, by installing remote patient monitoring systems in patients homes.

A previous pilot study conducted by the NHS reviewed over 6,000 patients in three cities suffering from three primary conditions, diabetes, heart failure or COPD. The results we powerful …

Remote monitoring reduced mortality rates by 45%

Related data was also encouraging …

emergency visited were reduced by 15%,
emergency admissions were reduced by 20%
bed days was reduced by 14%
and total costs per patient was reduced by 8%.

Should we market to physicians?

Nicola Ziady — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 04:50:39 +0000

Physicians have become steady online and smartphone users. They are tapping into the internet to research conditions, procedures, medications and to stay on top of industry news.

As a result, online promotion to healthcare professionals is growing in its importance, specifically as it relates to helping doctors care for their patients, teaching trainees and performing their jobs more efficiently.

As the market is adopting to the influence of the web, healthcare marketers are seeking new ways to build trust and relationships with clinicians without traditional face to face meetings, we try to connect with docs via social media, instant messaging and even video skype.

We are working hard to integrate our offerings into the digital tools and venues that clinicians already trust and use but to utilise these tools for business purposes. As healthcare marketers, we are trying everyday to tap into new media without being perceived as unwelcome guests. It is a daily struggle but one I am willing to continue.

Tweetable Fact ::

Physicians are spending twice as much time online for professional purposes than two years ago, in 2008 according to a survey by Manhattan Research from April 2010.

Tweet this!

The truth about healthcare around the world

Nicola Ziady — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 01:26:13 +0000

According to Reuters, “The United States spends more on healthcare than any country in the world but has higher rates of infant mortality and diabetes than many other developed countries.”

This is the common conversation today but as healthcare professionals we know what goes into getting and staying healthy. So, lets talk the truth about healthcare around the world, costs and comparisons.

Today’s Healthcare at a Glance

A report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, compared healthcare costs with 34 of its member countries. What we discovered is that several commonalities exist ::

Health at a Glance 2011 reports that obesity rates have doubled [even tripled in many countries] since 1980. In half of the OECD countries, 50% of the population is overweight, if not obese!

Frontline recently interviewed Matthias Rumpf from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD] on why healthcare costs in the United States so much higher than any other OECD country.

“The United States uses a lot of expensive diagnostic tests [MRI and CT scans] and performs a lot of interventions where it is not always clear whether the procedure is necessary or not, such as in knee replacements.”

To qualify the use of these resources Rumpf stated that the United States does not have as many doctors relative to its population, not as many hospital beds and patients do not spend as long in hospital when they are admitted.

How American healthcare compares with other nations

Rumpf answered that the United States has the highest proportion of adults, 90% who reporting that they are in good health. This is far above the OECD average of 69%. [ Tweet this fact! ]

The cost factor

Rumpf states that contrary to popular belief, no country has brought down the cost of healthcare! He said healthcare costs are rising everywhere and identified the real issue as whether other countries are providing good quality care at lower costs than the United States.

Its not all bad news when we study the American healthcare system. The quality of cancer care in the United States stands out with excellent results. Screening rates for breast and cervical cancer are excellent, allowing problems to be diagnosed early on. The chances of living five years after being diagnosed with breast, or cervical cancer, are better in the United States than almost anywhere else in the world.

Lessons from high-performing healthcare systems

Frontline produced a documentary on the subject, “Sick Around the World” in 2008 which covers the topics we discuss in this article.

Editorial note from Nicola ::

As a product of socialized medicine I am very happy to receive my healthcare in America. Although healthcare was not on my mind when I emigrated from Ireland ten years ago, today I see the benefit and reward of living and working in a country that invests in science, translational research to cure tomorrows illnesses. I am also very fortunate to be married to a man who works on disease specific research every day. So, I want to take the opportunity to thank the silent contributors who make tomorrow possible for the rest of us.

Vital Video Vignette :: Healthcare Messaging

Nicola Ziady — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:19:22 +0000

We have all heard the buzz about social media but are physicians still confused about it?

I have collected a vital vignette of videos every healthcare professional should watch. This Doctors Channel series will illustrate why social media is important for a medical practice, what social media tools to use, how to integrate communication options and when it is appropriate to do so.

Please watch, learn and enjoy …