What You Should Know:
- Over half of doctors have had a negative encounter with another user, according to Software Advice’s Social Media for Doctors Survey.
- The survey finds that attracting new patients is the number one benefit to using social media, according to 66% of US practitioners.
Key findings of the survey include:
- Social media keeps practitioners updated with trends and increases patient count: 81% of healthcare providers follow other providers on social media in order to stay updated about emerging trends in medicine.
- Practices use a healthy mix of social platforms to promote their business: Facebook is the most popular platform for providers (67%); followed by Instagram (63%), and LinkedIn (46%).
- Medical professionals keep personal and professional accounts separate: 62% of healthcare providers use social media to promote their medical practice and themselves as professionals. However, 69% have professional and personal accounts that never reference one another.
The content creation differs from practice to individual: Among practitioners who post on behalf of their entire practice, the majority (72%) post links to related news topics. In comparison, the most common type of content individual professionals post is explainers for common issues related to their specialties.