Featured Articles

GW Survey Evaluates Influence of Social Media in Attracting Patients

Dermatology News

Featured Article

“A rapidly growing number of dermatologists are advocating for the value of social media to promote their practices,” said Adam Friedman, MD, interim chair of the Department of Dermatology at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences and senior author on the study. “Only one other survey has been conducted on patient perception of social media. There hasn’t been enough to show us how effective social media is as a marketing tool for dermatologists.”

Read Article Now

GW Survey Evaluates Influence of Social Media in Attracting Patients

A survey from the George Washington University evaluated whether patients consider a dermatologist’s social media presence when looking for a doctor

WASHINGTON (May 7, 2020) – Patients often do not take social media into consideration when looking for a dermatologist, according to a survey from researchers at the George Washington University. The survey was published recently in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.

As of 2019, 79% of Americans have a social media presence on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Many dermatologists consider social media to be a useful tool for building their practices and recruiting patients. However, limited data exists about whether a provider’s social media presence is a driver in attracting new patients to their practice.

“A rapidly growing number of dermatologists are advocating for the value of social media to promote their practices,” said Adam Friedman, MD, interim chair of the Department of Dermatology at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences and senior author on the study. “Only one other survey has been conducted on patient perception of social media. There hasn’t been enough to show us how effective social media is as a marketing tool for dermatologists.”

The GW research team distributed a 10-question online survey to a diverse patient population to evaluate their perceptions of social media and what aspects of a dermatologist’s site are the most helpful. Only 25% of respondents aged 18–30 years old thought social media was extremely or very important, suggesting that leaning on social media may not be the best way to grow a practice.

The results also indicated that respondents who did utilize social media for these purposes were interested in seeing patient education, viewing patient reviews, as well as dermatologists’ experience levels rather than personal information.

“While patients overall may not rely on social media to select a dermatologist nor be interested in nonmedical content, many of our respondents did express interest in educational content written by their dermatologists on social media,” Friedman said. “Practitioners should still count social media as a tool in building their practices and engaging their current patients, however, it should be one of many methods that they rely on to recruit new patients.”

The authors say that further research needs to be done to determine whether social media is an effective educational tool for dermatologists.

Read Article Now

You May Also Like

AcneFeatured ArticlesJDD HighlightsJDD in the MediaMelasmaThe Latest
March 26, 2024

JDD in the News: Cysteamine Isobionic-Amide Complex for Melasma

by Allison Sit Dermatology Advisor, Dermatology Times and Healio all covered recent articles in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. One study, “Cysteamine Isobionic-Amide Complex Versus Kligman’s Formula for the…
AcneFeatured ArticlesJDD HighlightsJDD in the MediaThe Latest
February 13, 2024

JDD in the News: Topical Clascoterone Efficacy Increases Over Time for Acne

by Allison Sit Dermatology Advisor, Dermatology News, Healio, Medriva and Medscape all covered a Journal of Drugs in Dermatology study about the long-term safety and effectiveness of topical clascoterone for…
Featured ArticlesJDD HighlightsJDD in the MediaThe Latest
January 16, 2024

JDD in the News: Combination Therapy for Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer

by Allison Sit The Journal of Drugs in Dermatology made news in Healio recently with several articles including one about a combination therapy for non-melanoma skin cancer. The study, “Cryosurgery…

Leave a Reply