Despite the opportunity for connecting directly with the public and policy makers, health-policy researchers have yet to rapidly adopt social media-tools in communicating news about their work, according to a study recently published in Health Affairs.
The survey of more than 200 health and health-policy researchers (primarily MDs and PhDs) found that 14 percent of participants reported using Twitter and an estimated 21 percent used blogs or Facebook in the past year to discuss their findings. However, 65 percent of individuals utilized press releases, media interviews or other traditional media channels. Lead author David Grande, MD, MPA, said in a release that the low adoption of social media among these experts "could be a significant missed opportunity to expose a larger audience to important health news and findings."
Grande and colleagues identified four factors preventing researchers from participating in social media: the belief that the culture of social media is frequently at odds with that of research, perceived professional risk, low confidence in ability to use social media, and uncertainties about how effective the tools are at disseminating research. Educating researchers about how to use social media and best practices could alleviate these concerns and increase adoption, said the authors. They concluded:
Public investments in research on health and health care are substantial. It is essential to maximize the returns on those investments by making research a key component of the process of developing, implementing, and refining health policies. Historically, the communication gap between researchers and policy makers has been large. Social media are a new and relatively untested tool, but they have the potential to create new communication channels between researchers and policy makers that can help narrow that gap. Determining how health researchers can best use and adapt this new technology to communicate evidence to policy makers should be a priority for universities, research funders, and scientists.
Previously: More reasons for doctors and researchers to take the social-media plunge, A reminder to young physicians that when it comes to social media, “it’s no longer about you”, How using Twitter can benefit researchers and How can physicians manage their online persona? KevinMD offers guidance
Via PsychCentral
