On this week's Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Bailey introduced Twitter to the hospital. It was a great representation of how many react to Twitter when they first hear about it. They want whoever is doing it, to stop.
I don't think it was a great idea for the interns who were in Dr. Webber's OR to be following the tweets instead of watching him, but Dr. Bailey's reasoning for doing it was flawless. She cited the fact that it was a teaching tool and that she could reach thousands of residents.
Whether it's new and cool or merely yicky, observers say there's no question that more and more doctors -- and patients -- will be sharing on sites like Twitter and Facebook.
This is a reality as the medical arena makes healthcare more interactive, it's a unique opportunity to explore innovative ways to communicate with patients and alleviative fears they may have.
Watching Dr. Webber start to understand the benefits and value of Twitter was pretty fulfilling (gosh, I am a healthcare PR nerd). The excitement he showed was fantastic.
How wonderful would it be if all our clients could be so easily convinced that social media was a great visibility tool and it wasn't just a liability? (Oh yeah, and if the FDA saw the value too..)