Doctors as influencers: A digital revolution

TV shows such as Grey's Anatomy, House, ER, Scrubs, Chicago Med and The Good Doctor allow a glimpse into what it's like working in a hospital – with some added made-for-TV drama. For decades, they have built diehard fanbases with countless people securing their sofa spots at the same time each week to watch the latest storylines unfold.

But now with the rise of social media and online communities, we don't need to wait a week for the next episode or wait for writer strikes to end. Instead, we only need to wait for the latest medical influencer's newest video to be uploaded to TikTok, Instagram or Facebook.

In this age of constant connectivity, misinformation, and misrepresentation online, how can doctors be influencers both in person and online?

In the latest episode of the Reimagining Rural Health podcast, Dr. Luis Garcia MD, FACS, MBA, FACHE , president of Sanford Clinic sat down with Dr. Robert Wachter , professor and chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco to discuss health care's digital revolution.

Dr. Wachter has authored 300 articles and six books, including a 纽约时报 Science Bestseller. He also knows a thing or two about being a digital influencer after his Twitter following exploded from 15,000 to 300,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He served as a trusted source of information on clinical, public health and policy issues.

From 2020 through 2022, his tweets about COVID-19 were viewed more than 400 million times. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the United States population won't cross the 400-million threshold until 2058.

"I was choosing to weigh in on what was the most important issue in the world. And people were desperate for trusted sources," said Dr. Wachter. "I felt like one of my opportunities-slash-obligations is, can I use my voice and my platforms to help people navigate through this pandemic?"

With online communities and social media followings, doctors, nurses and medical professionals can reach a wider audience and share their expertise, sharing information about new medical research, provide updates on emerging health concerns and offer advice on healthy living, making them important influencers in the digital space.

Dr. Wachter talks about being a generalist vs. a specialist when it comes to sharing information online: "One of things I've learned in my career is that there is a role for generalists and a role for specialists. And the system works best when you have partnerships between the two of them." As a generalist, he could "pull it together in a way that made sense to me, and then try to communicate it to others."

There's no question that medical professionals can have a positive impact on social media, often demystifying medicine for the average person.

"People are going to be online and looking for information. And they're going to be acting on the information they see," said Dr. Garth Graham , director and global head of healthcare and public health for 谷歌 and YouTube in an interview with Forbes in December of 2022. "Having a presence – as long as it is evidence-based, accurate information – is valuable. It's valuable at scale and it allows an opportunity for people to get access to information that they may not have had before."

The modern medical influencers have built their following on platforms by communicating directly with their followers, taking full control of their content and messaging, not confined to the limitations of TV, radio or print. For demystification to be viable, there needs to be trust between consumer and influencer.

So how did Dr. Robert Wachter accomplish that? By "being comfortable not only tweeting out facts and analysis but a little bit of your personal story," he said. "People seem to be looking for trusted sources that way."

So whether it was communicating to people about what new research meant or sharing a photo of his lunch (once SpaghettiOs and double stuffed Oreos because "this is just what I felt like eating today."), he was able to gain a sense of trust between himself and his followers.

But of course, easy and direct access comes with concerns and complications. Medical professionals with an online presence have a responsibility to ensure that the information they share is evidence-based and reliable. They must also be aware of their online presence's potential impact, ensuring that they are not promoting harmful or misleading information.

While the American Medical Association (AMA) has a set of guidelines for doctors on social media, it primarily addresses professionalism and protecting patient privacy. With ease of gaining sizable followings, there are very few official checks and balances or real vetting processes to ensure the information shared is medically accurate and the sharer is a licensed professional.

Listen to the full conversation between Dr. Garcia and Dr. Wachter: