Over 65% of Physicians Have Used Social Media to Support their Professional Practice

Physicians are highly engaged with social media for both personal and professional use, according to a 4,033-clinician study authored and conducted by QuantiaMD, the Waltham, Mass.-based mobile and online physician community provider, and Care Continuum Alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based international association for wellness, prevention and care management.

Nearly 90 percent of physicians use at least one social media site for personal use, while over 65 percent have used at least one to support their professional practice. A burgeoning group of “Connected Clinicians” are using multiple sites for both personal and professional purposes. Physicians see promise in online physician and patient communities for improving patient care, but are struggling with the associated challenges.

Various physician communities, along with consumer sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, are the online networks most used for professional purposes, and top uses for sites such as these are for education and communicating with colleagues. Over 20% of respondents are “Connected Clinicians” who use two or more social media sites for both personal and professional use. This new breed of “Connected Clinicians” is the most enthusiastic about the broadest range of professional applications of social media. They tend to use electronic communications with colleagues and patients more frequently and are more aware of online patient communities.