How doctors use Twitter

If you’ve kept up with this blog, you know that I’m still skeptical of Twitter. I don’t have an account and I don’t feel like getting one so I can follow others, largely because I am far enough behind on my e-mail and other reading without it. Others, though, are finding practical uses for the microblogging site.

The 33 Charts blog this week recently had a post about how physicians use Twitter. The author, Bryan Vartabedian, M.D., identifies five ways, only one of which is remotely related to patient care.

“So regarding Twitter and doctors, I wish its role was more dramatic. No matter how you use it, Twitter remains a great place to build relationships with people in your sphere of influence,” Vartabedian says.

Regarding Twitter and me, I still haven’t seen much evidence that it wouldn’t be a colossal waste of time.