This document discusses how epidemiologists can use social media. It begins by defining social media and examining its current uses in healthcare. It then outlines how social media can be used for collaboration, sharing information, and research. Specific ways epidemiologists can utilize social media include using it to brand themselves as experts, find knowledge and resources, and share their work. The document concludes by providing actionable steps epidemiologists can take immediately to improve their social media presence and make use of its opportunities.

1. Social Media & eHealth for
Epidemiologists
Tom van de Belt, PhD
#preECE15

2. @rwhooijer)
@tomvandebelt

3. 3

4. Medicine X Stanford US
Medicine 2.0 Harvard US
TEDMED Wash DC US
Doctors 2.0 Paris FR
World PD conference CAN
National Health Debate US
TEDxMaastricht NL
TEDxNijmegen NL
FutureMed US
Saskatchewan Health Quality Council Summit CAN
Cleveland Clinic Personalized Summit US
IGZ conference patientveiligheid NL
....

5. 5
We can't solve problems by using the
same kind of thinking we used when we
created them.
- Einstein

6. CLO:
Chief
Listening
Officer

7. Technology is
a tool, not our
goal

10. The only constant in healthcare is the patient.

12. elen,&Derksen&
Source: Engelen, Derksen (2010)
patients as partners

13. 13
What can we learn from social media?

14. Definition of social media
‘a group of Internet-based applications that build on the
ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,
and that allow the creation and exchange of user-
generated content’
- Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010

15. 15
Who uses Social Media?
for work?

16. 16
If Facebook were a country, it would have the largest
population in the world.
1.39 billion monthly active users as of December 31, 2014
China 'only' has 1.36 billion inhabitants.

17. 4 C's in social media
Consume
Create
Connect
Control
- Kaplan and Haelein, 2010

18. 18
Use of Social Media in Healthcare

19. 19
Van de Belt et al., JMIR, 2012

20. 20
25%
of Dutch adults wish to
communicate with their HCP
using Social Media
Van de Belt et al., JMIR, 2013

21. You can post whatever you want
outside work, it's just your private life.
A little headache.. Does this mean
that I've been drinking too much?
Fortunately it was only a little bit!
This was written by a nurse!

22. http://www.jmir.org/2014/2/e56/

23. Verhoef
et
al.
2013
JMIR
more =
mortality
rate (-)
- patient experience (+)
- infection rates (-)
- readmission rates (-)

24. 24 Source:
http://www.ZorgkaartNederland.nl

25. 25
Social Media for Collaboration and
Creation of information.

26. Patient group meeting
Online forum
Phone consultation
Patient
Information
Leaflet
?
?
?

27. 7.3%
21.2%
39.4%
11.9%
20.2%
Yes
Partially
No
contact needed & no info
contact needed and partial info
Patient information leaflet: ‘findability’ of
answers?
(%, n=193)

28. 28
Online forum
Wiki
Online
Information

29. 29

30. 30
The internet has evolved.

35. From Reactive... To pro-active

37. 37
How epidemiologists could use social
media?

38. 38

39. 39 Research Information Network, 2011. Social Media: A Guide for researchers

41. 41
let people
find YOU!

42. 42

43. 43

44. 44
If you don't brand yourself, someone
else will.
- Wortel (2012)

45. 45
find knowledge
YOURSELF!
full-text papers
grants
subjects/respondents
answers!

46. NB: Tweets can predict
highly cited articles
Eysenbach, 2011
46
share your
work!
Bron:&Forrester&

47. 47
Should I share my unpublished
data with the online community /
at conferences?

48. 48

49. Bron:&Engelen,&Derksen&
Source: Engelen, Derksen (2010)

50. 50
What can I do TODAY to improve my
social presence and to make use of
the possibilities of social media?

51. •Select ONE high quality photo that you use for all your online profiles. By doing so you will allow other
people to recognize you. Moreover, the filename should be your full name e.g. "jan_klaassen.JPG”. The latter
will improve your “findability” in search engines: people looking for your name will see you instead of other
people with an equal name.
•Make sure you have a unique and complete BIO, that you use for every profile. Avoid too much variation.
Similar to keywords in scientific publications, they facilitate that other people can find you. Use this BIO for all
your profiles.
•Create a profile for all general social networks, even if you do not plan to use actively use them:
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Slideshare, LinkedIn. This will also improve your rank in search
engines.
•Create a profile for all scientific social network: Researchgate, Mendeley, Google Scholar.

52. 52
•Keep your profiles up-to-date. Check the photo and BIO every month.
•Share: Make sure that you are interesting for other people:
o Share all your publications, presentations, posters, abstracts etc. on your networks
o Share publications etc. from other researchers as well, show your thoughts, opinions and suggestions.
•Control: Rate online content and give compliments: when a colleague publishes an interesting paper: share
it and congratulate the authors.
•Expand your network: Wisely expand your network: When you see interesting papers: connect (e.g. follow
on Twitter) with all the authors on your networks.

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Why social media?
•It enables you to show others your expertise, so that they know when to find you.
•It also gives you access to vast amounts of knowledge, you can ask your own connections for help, but can
also ask them to reach out to their connections.
•It can help you to stay up-to-date in your line of work.

54. 54
.. and that you start acting NOW is
very important, because..