A New York City physician has called for family doctors to build trust with their patients through social media.
Dr. Mikhail Varshavski cited Statista.com when he wrote that more than 2.5 billion people across the globe are on social media, and that number will reach 2.67 billion by next year. The number of Americans using social media has gone up from 24 percent in 2008 to 81 percent this year, Varshavski said.
According to those numbers, only 19 percent of Americans now are not on social media. Because of that, Varshavski recommends that doctors use social media wisely as a way to build trust with their patients.
Family doctors can use social media to help their patients learn more and help themselves and their children to avoid getting sick, he said. Along with that, Varshavski says family doctors can use social media to help patients learn about visiting their family doctor regularly, to help avoid unhealthy conditions and to improve their overall health.
