By Katie Kennedy CREATION.co’s CEO, Daniel Ghinn, recently interviewed Professor Patha Kar for the podcast Better Listening for Better Health on how he uses social media to drive access to better healthcare. Prof. Kar is National Specialty Advisor, Diabetes with NHS England and co-author of the national Diabetes GIRFT report. He also works as a consultant in diabetes and endocrinology in Portsmouth.
The importance of social media
In his interview with Daniel, Prof. Kar shared his opinions on the importance of social media in his work and the impact it has had on supporting him to help shape policy, drive better access and improve patient care. His current focus involves getting better access to technology for those living with type 1 diabetes particularly technology driving self-management. The availability of the artificial pancreas was a big leap towards self-automation and the UK is one of the first countries to roll this out in the public health system at scale. In order to get this right the team thought about lessons learned from the rolling out of glucose monitoring technology. One lesson was the importance of social media.
Prof. Kar believes that without social media, the glucose monitoring technology would not have exploded like it did in the UK. Other colleagues in different areas who stuck with official channels and did not embrace social media have seen gaps in the uptake which his team didn’t. He is confident that having clear communication across social media played a big part in this success, and type 1 diabetes has gone from lagging behind in technology uptake to being one of the global leaders.
Three uses of social media
The three main reasons Prof. Partha Kar uses social media are:
1) To share factual information in order to raise awareness or reinforce messaging related to diabetes.
2) To share the latest science developments, like trial data, and sow the seeds for people to consider what this means for them.
3) To support people affected by type 1 diabetes by connecting with their physicians/clinicians directly and speaking out on their behalf.
Prof Kar. is present on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. He recognises that each of these channels attracts different audiences and the message he is sharing needs to be tailored accordingly. He says that his posts on X are an instantaneous reaction to something, and can be emotional and provocative, whereas LinkedIn is how he connects directly with policymakers. On Facebook, he shares information with patients or those affected by type 1 diabetes. On Instagram, his posts are more pictorial, for example quickfire videos and reels. He is passionate about communicating on different channels and encourages others not to be shy, but to try podcasts and different social media channels.
Advice for HCPs who want to build an online network
If you want to grow your online presence, Prof. Kar recommends starting by observing the big, established players in your space. Crucially, he advises not just to look at the people you like who are leading online conversations but also the ones you don’t like, to get a balanced view. He also suggests taking your observations and assessing where you want to fit into the landscape. Finally, he says, start posting in a respectful way with an aim to build a good reputation. Once you are more established, you can start to push the boundaries more by sharing what you don’t agree with.
Prof. Kar passionately believes that it is OK to share your opinion online, and people do not always have to agree with each other. He reflects that this is in fact part of a democratic society, and as long as you share your opinion respectfully, it is OK even if you disagree with policies made by your own organisation. Being true to yourself and sharing your real opinions fosters a sense of authenticity, he says.
Prof. Kar’s views ring true: in our experience of studying Digital Opinion Leaders for decades, authenticity is a key factor in who other HCPs listen to and learn from online.
Watch the full podcast here.
