Integrating Social Media in Modern Oncology Practice and Research

Abstract

The widespread adoption and diffusion of social media provides oncology professionals with a unique and unprecedented opportunity to engage with the public. However, there remains a paucity of literature examining how clinicians and researchers can effectively use social media to complement modern oncology practice and research. In this review, we dissect the benefits and risks of professional social media use in oncology and offer several best practices for clinicians and researchers to achieve effective engagement. We also describe how to participate constructively in Twitter conversations at the time of medical or scientific conferences. Additionally, we demonstrate how to communicate appropriately and safely with patients and families online. Finally, we explore the exciting and nascent field of social media research and highlight the need to investigate its potential value in personalized cancer medicine.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSCancer clinicians and researchers can effectively use social media to stay current with the literature, network and foster collaboration, and gain support for personal and professional growth. Twitter engagement at academic conferences can be a valuable way to nurture active learning, disseminate information, and connect physical and virtual attendees, bringing diverse perspectives together and facilitating rich discussions. Understanding how to appropriately and prudently communicate with patients and caregivers online is essential. Social media offers the potential for clinicians and researchers to demonstrate compassion, passion for healing, and an appreciation of the patient experience, while concurrently providing credible, peer-reviewed information resources. Social media represents an extremely promising frontier for cancer research. It can potentially serve as a data source that may complement information from the health record to help us better understand population health, and may influence health behavior or outcome as an intervention tool. However, currently it is in early proof-of-concept stages. Further research, collaboration, and funding are needed to improve the evidence base for how social media can be effectively leveraged to improve health knowledge, behaviors, and outcomes.