“To facilitate the chat, the professional staff identified their specific areas of interest and types of questions they would like to address,” she says, adding that the transcript of the chat is archived on HSS’ blog so participants and those who could not attend can review the online conversation (www.hss.edu/onthemove). “I was the moderator,” Bernstein says. “As questions came in, I delegated them. Everyone had a laptop and typed their responses. We also had another staff person with an iPad to refresh the page.”
With any new technology, there is a learning curve. Bernstein says each chat must focus on a specific topic related to one disease. However, when coordinating future chats, she won’t invite as many experts. She believes fewer voices tend to minimize potential confusion among participants.
Likewise, she is considering posting a Facebook link to an online survey. Although she received feedback from lupus bloggers and advocacy groups like the Lupus Foundation who helped promote the event, Bernstein says, “It would be great to go back and get a deeper dive into what people felt. This way, we would get feedback that is very streamlined, focused, and gathered on one spot.”
Michael Lockshin, MD, a rheumatologist and professor of medicine and obstetrics and gynecology at HSS who participated in the chat, is also eager for constructive feedback. He says a critical analysis that focused on the chat’s mechanics or logistics would be useful. For example, would participants like an agenda beforehand? Was chatting with six people helpful or confusing? What should be done differently?
Roadblocks
Despite their initial success, Facebook chats and other forms of social media still haven’t gained full acceptance in the medical community.
Dr. Lockshin, who also serves on a curriculum committee at Weill Cornell Medical College, says the college’s faculty is still considering the value of social media as a communication tool. He says it’s important to distinguish between group sessions, such as Facebook chats that are widely supported by physicians, and one-on-one web-based interactions between patients and physicians.
Unlike one-on-one social media or e-mail communications—especially nonencrypted e-mails—that often pose privacy issues, he says Facebook chats carefully lay out privacy protections for patients.
Considering all the patient benefits, Dr. Lockshin is looking forward to his next chat.
“When we first started doing this, we were stunned,” he says. “We had several doctors in the room and wondered whether we should have a movie [playing] inside the room because we would be so bored. We had so many questions, we were just overwhelmed and gratified that we could reach so many patients.”
