We patients have only a few tools at our disposal to choose the right doctor for us. Most of those tools provide very cut and dried basics like licensing, board certification, even malpractice.
It has always been difficult to gain a glimpse into a doctor's attitudes or personality without meeting that doctor and getting to know him or her. Friends might tell us a doctor is "nice" - but smart patients know that doesn't mean a doctor is competent.
Along comes social media - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and other programs online that allow us to connect with other people - including doctors. Social media allows us to learn more about a doctor's personality and attitudes, his or her approach to their work and more.
With a little detective work, picking up clues here and there, smart patients use social medial to help them research and choose their doctors.
Some might tell you that you can get this kind of information from doctors' ratings sites. But I'm not a fan. They are too restricted, and are too often populated only by disgruntled patients. So give social media a try, hopefully to find more balance.
Why Are Doctor's Attitudes and Personalities Important?
When it comes to choosing a doctor, in particular one you'll develop a long-term relationship with like a primary care doctor, cardiologist, OB-GYN or endocrinologist, there are important criteria for that relationship that have nothing to do with credentials.
Just like choosing a spouse or lifelong partner, you'll want to choose a doctor with attributes that make you comfortable, including personality, gender, general attitudes about the world around him or her, maybe even religion. After all, in some ways you will be more intimate with your doctor than you will with your spouse!
If a doctor writes a blog, has a page at Facebook, posts at Twitter, uploads videos to YouTube or photos to Flickr, or shares interesting web links at any of the shared link sites like StumbleUpon, Digg or Friendfeed - then you may learn plenty about that doctor.
Even if the doctor has nothing to do with social media him or herself, you might uncover plenty of information not available in other ways.
Here are some steps to take to use social media to help you learn more about, and choose the right doctor.
