Should Healthcare Professionals Build Online Communities? - My Journey

Dear Subscribers,

I am pretty sure you have once wondered why I seem so vested in sharing contents on digital spaces even though I am a licensed Medical Doctor with over a decade of clinical experience. Allow me to share a story.

A few years ago I once managed a patient who almost died after he developed a ruptured bowel which he was fully unaware of. When I asked him why he came late to seek care he said “I believed consuming herbal concoctions would solve this problem.” Lucky for him, he made it, however it came at the cost of battling for his life for 3 months in the hospital following an emergency exploratory laparotomy

This then got me thinking - What if he had known better to identify his symptoms on time? Would he have spent over 90 days in the hospital, racking up medical bills he was unable to pay? I quickly realized that ignorance is costly, and a large percentage of Africans who are already living in multidimensional poverty are unable to afford it.

Hence, I proposed a solution - provide easy to consume health information tailored to African audiences that can be shared across accessible media platforms to help Africans improve their health seeking behaviors and decision making with regards to their health.

With over 10 million views of our videos in 10 months, I think we have made quite an impact on the health of Africans, especially in Nigeria and Ghana.

So, to answer the question in the title of today's newsletter - Yes, we need more Healthcare Professionals building online communities.

We currently live in a very different world and times have changed. Today, you have many more people spending time on mobile devices and gadgets than ever before. It only makes sense that relevant information regarding their health is made available in these spaces. And these contents must be adapted and contextualized to meet target audiences in different parts of the world.

Since 2018, my major passion has been to continue in the line of health advocacy by putting accessible health information out there for Africans I have been able to put in more effort and channel my energy into this venture from the last half of 2023 following my transition from my previous remote employment.

It hasn’t been an easy journey but for me and for thousands of others it has been worth it. And one thing to note - building a community online, like anything else, can be very difficult. But with time it becomes easier. Here are a few hurdles aspiring health creators may want to consider before you start your journey.

Knowing your niche - You want to begin but you’re not quite sure where you want to start from? My advice - start from topics and themes you’re most comfortable with. If you can speak about a certain topic without breaking a sweat, that should be your starting point.

Lack of time - because of your tight schedules you may find it hard to make valuable content for your audience, however I suggest proper planning and outsourcing of tasks to accomplish this.

These are just a few challenges you will meet on your journey and I will share more in upcoming newsletters. But if you want to become a health creator, this is the perfect time to begin. If you are in the healthcare industry and you are interested in starting your own journey as a healthcare creator, feel free to speak to me at [email protected]

Till then, see you in my next newsletter!