As physician practices become more comfortable in the social media sphere, their go-to preference for social media tools to attract patients is changing, according to a Digital Doctor survey initiated by ZocDoc.
Facebook topped the list with half of the 360 respondents saying they had a Facebook page to attract clients. Another 34 percent are using Google+ For the uninitiated, it’s like a picture and video heavy version of Facebook. LinkedIn comes in third with 28 percent of doctors saying they had a presence on it. That’s probably a place where patients would go to check on their physicians experience level.
A surprisingly high number — 65 percent — of physicians who said they have a social media presence are aged 55 to 75. Not surprisingly 87 percent of younger doctors — 26 to 55 — said they used social media.
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This also represents a digitally oriented group of doctors responding to increased demands for them to use technology to make more efficient use of patient time in their office engage patients electronically. About 63 percent said they allow patients to fill out medical forms online. Another 62 percent have sent e-prescriptions.
ZocDoc’s survey findings jibe with another survey earlier this year that broke down how patients and hospitals use social media. Almost half of patients, 47 percent, said they would share information online with a doctor more than a hospital, 42 percent.
