Monday, January 31, 2011

Growing use of social media in the CME industry #acme2011

Last week, I was in San Francisco attending the Alliance for CME annual conference. A number of presentations included different elements of social media in the certified continuing medical education process. Some organizations were using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to conduct needs assessments. Others were relying on social media for physician engagement and to increase participation. Some groups were educating physicians about the appropriate use of social media. After all, there are significant patient privacy issues that are intimately connected with social media and we wouldn't want physicians to use social media inappropriately.

What's interesting is that those working in the CME industry are also using social media for professional purposes. The LinkedIn groups were buzzing with activity about the upcoming Alliance meeting as attendees shared ideas and generated buzz about the conference. Attendees also used the Twitter hashtag #acme2011 to refer to the conference. The Alliance for CME recently launched a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and a LinkedIn group. Other CME groups are doing similar things to leverage social media resources.

2011 will be a year where we'll be seeing much more social media activity in the world of CME. Let's see how we can all use social media to enhance the education of health care professionals. 

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