Studies show that half of patients admit to not understanding what their doctor told them during an office visit; and more than 75% of emergency room patients acknowledge not fully grasping instructions given to them.

As a primary care physician, being unable to clearly communicate with patients is frustrating. The typical, 15-minute office visit often is not sufficient for a thorough discussion of health issues, let alone to clarify any patient confusion. A better way to connect with patients is needed.

Perhaps that is why more patients are turning to the Internet. A recent survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project estimates that 61% of American adults surf the web for health information, with the majority looking for user-generated content written by others with similar medical conditions.

Social media websites that encourage reader interaction and conversation are playing an increasingly large role in providing information tailored to online patients. There are thousands of blogs and Facebook groups, for instance, where patients discuss their experiences living with cancer, HIV or depression. And patients use Twitter to share tips on battling diabetes, or give advice on finding the right doctor or hospital.

But like a lot of the information on the Internet, not all medical content is credible.

Quality health care requires a doctor-patient dialogue that doesn’t simply end once the physician leaves the examining room. While ultimately standards of care online need to be established by professional medical societies, in the meantime doctors should embrace social media as a way to continue the conversation, and to provide patients with the trusted health information they’ll need.

Read more:  http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/02/social-media-enhance-doctor-patient-relationship.html