doctors on social media face frequent abuse

one in four doctors have been the target of abuse on social media based on their race, religion or medical advice, according to a new study. a nd the problem is only getting worse amid the covid-19 crisis.

the research,  published monday in jama internal medicine ,  relies on data collected early in 2019 , before the global pandemic .  it is the first study of its kind to document the social media experiences of  u.s.  doctors in an increasingly turbulent time for the medical community and the rest of the world.  

“if anything, our data is likely an underestimate of the true extent of attacks and harassment post-pandemic since so many doctors started to advocate for public health measures during the pandemic and have been met with an increasingly polarized populace emboldened by leadership that devalues science and fact,”  said vineet arora ,  senior author of the study and  assistant dean for scholarship and discovery at the university of chicago pritzker school of medicine.  

the online abuse included coordinated harassment and threats at work, waves of negative reviews and having personal information exposed publicly. the more troubling cases included threats of death and sexual assault. women doctors bore the brunt of these attacks, with one in six reporting online sexual harassment.  

“we worry this emotionally distressing environment will drive women physicians off social media, which has been well-documented as a helpful career-advancement tool,” said tricia  pendergrast , the study’s first author and a second-year medical student at northwestern university feinberg school of medicine. “women in medicine are already less likely to hold leadership positions or be first or last authors of research, so disproportionately abstaining from a platform used for collaboration and networking due to sexual harassment and personal attacks should be a cause for concern.”  

the study, which had some limitations, relied on two questions sent out by traceable link on twitter early last year. respondents were required to answer yes or no to the following: had they ever personally been targeted or attacked on social media and had they ever been sexually harassed on social media. the questions, which included an optional box to expand on answers, were viewed over 1,100 times and answered by 464 participants who self-identified as u.s. physicians.  

once regarded as beacons of truth in an uncertain world, repeated assaults on science and fact-based knowledge has undoubtedly damaged the public perception of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. according to the study, these groups will require plenty of support to reclaim their position as trusted messengers — something sorely needed in an age of misinformation.  “doctors and other health care workers are already facing unprecedented stress and mental health challenges from their work,” arora said.   

“any stress from being online will compound that and put them at risk especially as doctors are being asked to be more vocal on social media to promote vaccination and more.”  

to help ensure their valuable voices are heard during and after the pandemic, arora said she  cofounded  the illinois medical professionals action collaborative team (impact4hc), a coalition of healthcare workers  that uses strength in numbers to  advance science-based solutions and repel online attacks from bad actors.  

“it feels much easier to advocate on social media as part of a group,”  she  said. “the nice thing is that on #medtwitter, you are not alone. there are many who will come to your aid. and  together, we not only have a louder voice but we can support each other though this stressful time.”  

dave  yasvinski  is a writer with   healthing.ca    

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