This week, in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico some of the country’s thought leaders in medical communication met for the American Medical Association’s National Association of Medical Communicators (NAMC) 29th Annual Conference. NAMC is an organization of physicians and media professionals dedicated to effective medical messaging.
There’s never been a better time for a medical group dedicated to getting the message right. With mainstream media becoming marginalized and journalism in a state of morphogenesis, health messaging has been left to the dogs – or just about anyone with a computer or smartphone. As physicians and we have two choices: 1) allow those with the best SEO to influence the health decisions of the public or 2) create a visible, active presence that educates the public and emphasizes reliable, evidence-based information.
Despite the apparent simplicity of e-health and the empowerment of the patient there actually remains a role for physicians. But for physicians to be relevant they must be present and actively involved in new media. We have to remind the world that as MDs, we’re actually still here. In the words this week of Dr. Valerie Jones, CEO and founder of Better Health, the internet is a swimming pool and we need lifeguards.
While NAMC has traditionally helped physicians use mainstream media outlets to convey the message of health, NAMC could evolve as the coreorganization to help physicians and PR professionals navigate and use new media. No group currently exists for this critical niche.
If you are a medical or media professional with an interest in health communication I would encourage you to join NAMC. Medical professionals need to redefine their role in the social media space and it can only be done with the input of those who are already there.
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Well said. A couple of times recently I've heard doctors say that they don't want any part of social media because it "takes too much time." These same docs are probably rolling their eyes when their patients show up with reams of medical information they found using Google. If we want people to find relevant medical information on the internet, then trained medical professionals need to start taking part in the process and providing that information.
Off to go check out the NAMC.
-Kristie
I totally agree! I'd also suggest that MDs may have a moral obligation to serve and protect their patients online. If only 1 in 10 physicians set up an online preventive health group (like the one I did for weight loss), we could have every American engaged in healthy behaviors spurred on by a physician who could provide information/guidance when necessary. We could do so much good if we embraced social media and used it to benefit our patients.
Very astute post – but as always engaging physicians is the hardest part. My experience at NAMC this week was very enlightening; I learned much from everyone, both physician and non-physician media professionals alike. I was very impressed as well at everyone's openness and willingness to share. I thought the attendance was disappointingly low given the richness of the material. May NAMC grow rapidly! (DrV – your sessions were great!)
I'm with you 100%! Social media is incredibly important in today's health climate and doctors need to be part of that growing conversation. NAMC can become a true voice in how medical professionals can engage in social media but we have to grow numbers. Jerry is right on the mark with this year's numbers – disappointingly low. That said, the people who were there this year were 100% committed to the conversation and helping each other up our individual games. That's what it is all about, on and off line.
Interesting. It isn't immediately obvious to me what role social media should play for a physician, but then I remember the many positive interactions I have with physicians like you on blogs and on Twitter. Social media really can be a powerful way to get important health messages out. I would love to hear more from you as to how people in the medical profession can use social media. What are your ideas? How do you feel about social media as a way to directly communicate with your patients? What, if any, lines should be drawn when using social media? I suspect that many physicians don't use social media at all because of fear of crossing privacy boundaries as well as lack of time.