Whether big questions or small, medically related or otherwise, social media users love to take their ponderings and perplexities to their friends to gather advice. Certainly, social media is a great place to poll opinions about the latest movie or book.
Sure, some might find asking friends for medical advice online easier than going to the doctor. Some might even feel that this collective problem solving protects them if they believe physicians’ or health care providers’ financial motivations might preclude sound medical advice. But asking people outside the medical community for health advice carries its own set of risks.
It’s natural to assume family, friends, and Candy Crush competitors would offer medical advice purely out of the goodness of their hearts. But their own life experiences can color this advice and may not be in the patient’s best interest. For example, the patient asking about solving a high cholesterol problem with diet and exercise instead of pharmaceutical treatment might win encouragement from his Facebook friends. He may hear about someone’s terrible side effects while on a cholesterol-lowering medication. These comments will certainly lead him to believe that he is better off without medication, but is he really making a well-informed decision?
Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
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