Social Media and Networking in Surgical Practice

The widespread accessibility to social media platforms, such as Facebook™, affords all of the stakeholders interested in optimizing patient outcomes within a specific surgical discipline the extraordinary opportunity to participate in the rapid global exchange of education and ideas. Closed groups, or communities, shielded from the public domain, that are designed to optimize patient outcomes and quality improvement, are changing the way surgeons educate themselves and eachother. It is important for any new surgeon today to understand the pros and cons of using online social media.