Twitter, for those who haven’t had time to check it out, is a micro-blogging site. That means you only have 140 characters for your message. With this form of social media, you can post your own messages and reply to others messages. Since, many doctors feel pressed for time as it is, how can spending more time on the computer be beneficial?

Well, unbelievably many doctors find that Twitter is a useful tool for receiving information. Depending on whom you follow on Twitter you can get updates pertaining to medical news, job openings and information about CME opportunities. Along with receiving information some doctors find that Twitter is a great way to share information with their peers, albeit in short 140 character posts. Many doctors look to Twitter as a way to get general medical questions answered and share the trials and tribulations that only other doctors will appreciate. Some doctors do live blogging from medical conferences, which can be of great interest to those who were unable to attend.

Another benefit is that it is a great tool for communicating among your office staff. This is especially true for physicians with multiple offices. With Twitter, a doctor can dispense reminders and other non-urgent communications with other staff members quickly and easily.  Twitter is also a great way to do patient outreach on a large scale. Physicians can use Twitter to broadcast global reminders for patients that have chronic conditions. For example, an allergist could post reminders/warnings about pollen counts for his patients.  It’s also used to send out interesting new findings or promote special awareness months like breast cancer awareness or heart health month.  

Since Twitter offers several different applications for mobile phones, you can send messages on the fly; you do not have to be at your desk. Used wisely Twitter can be a great reference and communication tool. Of course, as with any online application care must be taken that no sensitive/confidential information is broadcast.