TUESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- Roughly half of plastic surgeons use social media tools to market their practices, according to a study published in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Andrew J. Vardanian, M.D., from the University of California Los Angeles, and colleagues anonymously surveyed members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons about social media usage.
The researchers found that half of respondents regularly used social media. Respondents cited the following reasons for utilizing social media: belief that incorporation of social media into medical practice is inevitable (56.7 percent); belief that social media are an effective marketing tool (52.1 percent); and belief that social media provide a forum for patient education (49 percent). Social media use was higher among surgeons with a primarily aesthetic surgery practice. Just over one-third (33.8 percent) reported a positive impact from social media on their practice, whereas most respondents (64.6 percent) stated that social media had no impact and 1.5 percent reported a negative impact.
"There is a definite interest among those surveyed in developing best practice standards and oversight to ensure ethical use of social media platforms throughout the plastic surgery community," the authors write.
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