The future of social media in orthopedic surgery

Excerpt

In 2015, 84% of adults used the Internet on a regular basis and 80% of these user references online sources for health-related information [1, 2]. There has been a corresponding growth in online social networking and social media outlets, in the form of websites, online social networks, and mobile applications [3]. These social media platforms have expanded to become vital networks for patients and physicians to communicate with each other, among each other, and learn from each other’s experiences. With an estimated 6.5 million health-related search engine queries per day [4], we believe that the contemporary practicing physician must be aware of these social media outlets and ideally have a deeper understanding and utilization that will allow for the improvement of patient care, patient and physician education, and increases in practice outreach, scope, and volume. …