Published March 19, 2024
In today's fast-paced digital landscape, the question of whether healthcare providers, especially primary care physicians, should leverage their influence to educate and engage with the public on medical topics has become more pressing than ever. The phenomenon of medical influencers, or clinicians using their expertise to reach a broad audience through digital platforms, is reshaping public understanding and trust in medical information. With a growing need for accurate health advice, the impact of these digital-savvy professionals cannot be understated. Should primary care clinicians take up the mantle of medical influencer, or is it an added burden to an already stretched profession?
This blog post references views shared by Dr. Mike Varshavski —a physician turned social media medical influencer—in his keynote address where he shared Insights on Communicating with Patients in the Digital Era. We will explore the roles, significance, and the approaches healthcare professionals can take to responsibly engage as medical influencers. If you are a medical professional interested in shaping the future of healthcare communication, this post is for you.
What Is a Medical Influencer?
A medical influencer is a healthcare professional who uses their expertise to educate and advocate for health-related topics through digital and social media platforms. Medical influencers engage with audiences by providing accurate, evidence-based information on a range of health issues. They play a crucial role in shaping public health discussions, disseminating health news, and combating the spread of medical misinformation.
Understanding the Role of Medical Influencers
Healthcare influencers have the unique ability to bridge the gap between clinical expertise and public accessibility. They are not just doctors; they are advocates, communicators, and educators. By leveraging social platforms, they reach individuals who might not regularly seek medical information from traditional sources. This accessibility is a powerful tool that, when used correctly, can improve public health outcomes.
Why All Clinicians Are Already Medical Influencers
Every clinician—whether they realize it or not—has the capacity to be a medical influencer. In patient interactions, community engagements, and even in the boardroom, clinicians affect the belief systems and decision-making processes of individuals around them. This inherent influence presents both an opportunity and a responsibility to uphold the highest standards of medical communication.
"We influence our patients to live healthier lives. We influence them to take their medications correctly. We influence them to change lifestyle factors in order to have better outcomes with disease and disease prevention. If we're teachers, we influence our students to make better decisions and tests and study habits. If we're parents, we influence our children to lead good lives. So in reality, we're all influencers." - Dr. Mike
The Responsibility of the Stethoscope
The moments with patients go beyond simple diagnosis and treatment. They are educational opportunities. Every word uttered by a clinician can reverberate as sound medical advice to a patient, family member, or friend. The focus must be on ensuring that these moments contribute positively to public health knowledge and behavior.
The Importance of Medical Influencers
The emergence of medical influencers is not just a social media trend; it is a response to a genuine need. The wealth of up-to-date health information available has increased, but so has the prevalence of misinformation. This surge has led to a situation where experts who can provide trustworthy guidance are invaluable.
Building Trust in an Age of Doubt
One of the most significant services medical influencers provide is rebuilding trust in medical authority at a time when it is frequently challenged. By maintaining transparency, upholding evidence-based standards, and engaging with audiences sincerely, they can reduce the stigma and restore faith in credible sources of medical information to a wider audience.
“Being a primary care physician, our role was to always be there for our patients. When they were admitted to the hospital, we’d be there. When they were in the outpatient setting, we’d be there. When they were in the nursing home, we’d go there. Now they’re on social media, I think we have to be there as well.” - Dr. Mike
The Roles of Medical Influencers
Combatting Misinformation
Healthcare Influencers possess the power to combat the rampant spread of misinformation by providing accessible and easy-to-understand content on health topics. Additionally, it is important to emphasize the necessity of consulting healthcare professionals, thereby increasing the chances of the public receiving accurate medical guidance and reliable resources.
Public Health
Beyond individual interactions, medical influencers can advocate for broader public health issues. They have the capacity to bring attention to societal health concerns, influence policy, and inspire community action through creating education and credibility online. An engaged public is a powerful force for positive health outcomes.
Health Advocacy
On platforms like social media, medical professionals can be at the forefront of health advocacy. By sharing their experiences and knowledge, they can raise awareness, change public perception, and create significant impact by even influencing healthcare policies.
Check out Dr. Mike’s free CME/CE curriculum where he shares insights on how to think like an influencer, as well as some of the top mistakes he’s seen young clinicians make.
Dr. Mike, for example, has used his YouTube platform and influence as an established medical influencer to advocate for a range of health issues. His advocacy has ranged from getting EpiPens placed in emergency medical kits of more than 60% of airlines, after a challenging first-hand experience with a patient that went into went into anaphylactic shock at 30,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, to changing a health policy that increased the number of residency spots available nationwide.
Getting Started as a Medical Influencer
The Power of Social Media
Social media is a potent tool for primary care clinicians to engage with current and potential patients, as well as with broader societal groups concerned with health. It allows for the dissemination of information at an unprecedented scale and speed, with the potential to positively impact a tremendous number of lives, as shown in Dr. Mike's Youtube dashboard.
Creating Quality Content
Quality content is key to making an impact as a medical influencer. Information should be accurate, current, and presented in a way that is both engaging and understandable for a varied audience. Storytelling, when appropriate, can be a potent tool in delivering complex medical content.
Supporting Good Work
Even if a medical professional chooses not to become an influencer themselves, there is immense value in supporting online initiatives that promote quality healthcare information. The sharing and endorsement of such content can amplify its reach and provide much-needed credibility to online health communication. "Top 10 Mistakes I See New Clinicians Make" is a great example of a YouTube video created by Dr. Mike to help young or aspiring clinicians, as well as more-established clinicians who are hoping to avoid the pitfalls their newer peers have encountered.
Dr. Mike’s YouTube video, "Top 10 Mistakes I See New Clinicians Make", is also available on Pri-Med.com for CME credit! Create your free account today and earn credits at no cost.
The influence of medical professionals on digital platforms is only set to grow. With the increasing involvement of technology in healthcare, the ability to communicate effectively about these changes will be critical. The future belongs to those who can adapt, communicate, and continue learning in an ever-evolving field of medicine.
Preparing for What's Next
By staying informed, engaging with technology, and dialing into the ethical considerations that come with online influence, primary care clinicians can play a pivotal role in shaping the future of healthcare communication. Dr. Mike's advice resonates loudly, especially for primary care physicians—for just as they've adapted in the past, so too they must evolve to meet patients where they are today.
Should primary care clinicians become medical influencers? The answer is not a simple yes or no. It's an acknowledgment of the profound impact healthcare professionals can make by reaching out to the public through digital platforms. It's a recognition that with great influence comes an even greater responsibility to do good and be true stewards of health. The call to action is clear; medical influencers are more relevant than ever, and primary care physicians have a pivotal role to play in this narrative.
The beauty of this evolving narrative is the potential it holds for a healthcare system that is more understanding, less daunting, and ultimately, healthier. For those in the primary care field willing to take the leap and engage with their patients and communities in new and dynamic ways, the world of influence awaits. With wisdom, compassion, and a commitment to the truth, the medical landscape, both digital and physical, is set to be transformed by the hands of those who do what's right for the people's health.
Interested in learning more about digital communication in healthcare? Check out the following blog posts:
How to Use Social Media in Healthcare
Effective Communication Strategies in Healthcare