During early 2015 we celebrated ten individuals “…advancing the cause of social media in clinical practice.” Following the interest in this story, it seemed valuable to invite a few brief thoughts from each of these healthcare professional mentors, to help others navigate the world of social media in clinical practice.
In the third of our ‘Three key insights‘ series, we speak with Bertalan Meskó (Berci). Thank you Berci for your kind contribution here.
‘Berci’ has contributed vastly to the use of social media in healthcare education. His curated social media resources portal Webicina has deeply relevant content sorted by topic. He has created an online course for stepping through the basics of social media in clinical use. He has also authored the books Social Media in Clinical Practice and The Guide to the Future of Medicine: Technology AND The Human Touch.
How and when did you begin to realize that social media might be valuable in your professional life?
I was a medical student and being alone with a clinical problem I had never faced before was an awful feeling. I wanted to feel connected to a huge network of brains and social media turned out to be the solution for this. Since then, I’ve been enjoying the advantages of getting connected with tens of thousands of like-minded professionals and getting help whenever I need it.
Can you tell of a personal ‘valuable lesson learned’ about social media that you would like medical peers and students to be aware of?
My general rule of thumb is that there is no difference between the online and offline worlds. If there is something I would never do in the offline world, why would I do it online? I’ve been communicating online for at least 15 years by keeping this simple rule in mind.
What do you see (or hope to see) in the future of healthcare engagement and social technologies?
I want every medical professional and every empowered patient worldwide to feel connected to many others. Others who can help professionally or emotionally. When they have questions or just need a good word or support. Social media has the potentials to become this bridge between people.
