This year’s TechMed sub-track includes two sessions that will focus on how clinicians and researchers can use digital and social media to directly engage with their colleagues, their patients, and the general public.
During Sunday’s Using Social Media to Connect With & Recruit Patients for Research Studies from 1:00 – 2:00 pm in Room 32 B, Katja Reuter, PhD, will discuss the potential of engaging and recruiting study participants online and the legal, regulatory, and ethical issues involved in developing a digital recruitment strategy. Dr. Reuter is Assistant Professor of Clinical Preventive Medicine at the Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. She is also Director of Digital Innovation and Communication for the Southern California Clinical and Translational Research Institute.
“Research indicates that digital and social media provide unprecedented opportunities for connecting prospective participants with research opportunities,” Dr. Reuter said. “It’s a challenging landscape, however, that requires a certain expertise, and there are many elements to consider, including developing a study web page, writing recruiting messages for digital and social media, managing study participants’ online activities during study participation, and monitoring protected health information in online comments.”
Dr. Reuter will also lead How to Disseminate Your Research & Manage Your Online Reputation from 9:00 – 10:00 am Monday in Room 32 B. The session will offer attendees tips for promoting and disseminating their research online and outline the basics of online reputation management.
“Physicians are particularly affected by online reviews and comments regarding their practice — and often they are not aware of online posts that can affect their reputation both positively and negatively,” Dr. Reuter said.
The proliferation of digital and social media has made it increasingly important for researchers to learn how to accelerate the dissemination of their research results in the digital space. The digital footprint of a researcher, she said, is also important for academic visibility and promotion.
“As clinician-scientists and physicians, it is inevitable to have some presence online, for example, as part of institutional online profiles, social media, or through patient online reviews,” Dr. Reuter said. “The challenge of the digital era is to develop the skills to benefit from the advantages that digital technologies provide and to be able to manage one’s online reputation, including managing reviews.”