By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    first aid guide
    A Deep Dive into First Aid and CPR Certification
    February 19, 2024
    back pain
    No More Aches! A Guide To Effective Back Pain Relief
    March 28, 2024
    workplace first aid
    First Aid Training Can Improve Workplace Health & Safety
    June 27, 2024
    Latest News
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare literacy
    Are You Health Literate?
    July 4, 2012
    Patient Power in Indiana
    December 9, 2011
    2/365 teenage pregnancy
    Make IUDs and Implants More Affordable and Accessible for Teens
    September 25, 2012
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Beyond the Buzz: 7 Reasons Healthcare Professionals Should Blog
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Social Media > Beyond the Buzz: 7 Reasons Healthcare Professionals Should Blog
BusinesseHealthSocial Media

Beyond the Buzz: 7 Reasons Healthcare Professionals Should Blog

Marie Ennis-O'Connor
Marie Ennis-O'Connor
Share
7 Min Read
Image
SHARE

Image

“No medical social media strategy would be complete without a plan for a blog” ~ Dr Howard J. Luks, MD. 

Image

“No medical social media strategy would be complete without a plan for a blog” ~ Dr Howard J. Luks, MD. 

More Read

6 Ways Big Data Could Change Healthcare
Critical Features To Include In Your Health And Nutrition App
Teleradiology Providing an Increasing Number of Opportunities to Europe
Hashtags for Healthcare
Microsoft Aims to Transform Healthcare Using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

A blog (a truncation of the expression web log) is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web and consisting of discrete entries (“posts”) typically displayed in reverse chronological order (the most recent post appears first) Wikipedia definition.

Most blogs combine text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and media related to its topic. They differ from static websites because they are more interactive – allowing for real-time comments and discussion – and (ideally) are updated with fresh content on a regular basis.

Healthcare blogs vary in content and style; they range from commentary on a topical issue to patients sharing the lived experience of a disease and healthcare professionals educating patients on the management of an illness. Blogs written by doctors, nurses, health researchers, patients, and healthcare and digital marketers and innovators add much to the richness and diversity of the online healthcare conversation. Many of these blogs are widely read and shared through social media, establishing their writers as authorities and go-to experts on a particular illness.

There are several ways that healthcare professionals can benefit from creating their own blogs. Below are some of the most important.

#1. Develops Clinical Reflective Writing Skills

Reflective capacity has been described as an essential characteristic of professionally competent clinical practice. Dr Prashini Naidoo describes reflective writing as “purposeful thinking about an experience through which learning takes place”.  In addition to learning, Dr Rita Charon, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Director of the Program in Narrative Medicine at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons believes that “writing improves clinicians’ stores of empathy, reflection, and courage”. 

When I asked Dr Richard Cook, a UK-based GP who blogs as Dr Moderate, his reasons for blogging, he answered: “My blog prompted me to think more deeply about the everyday things I encounter at work”. And Kentucky-based cardiac electrophysiologist, Dr John Mandrola credits blogging with making him a more informed doctor: “It is astounding how much I have learned in the quest to talk smartly about medical science. Without doubt, this blog has made me a more informed doctor”.

#2. Provides Patient Education

When a patient is newly diagnosed with an illness, they will inevitably have many questions.  It is most probable that many other patients have the same questions. Building a repository of information about these frequently asked questions is a valuable resource for patients and a time-saver for the physician who can easily refer patients to their blog. Dr Ronan Kavanagh, a rheumatologist based in Ireland, provides a good example of providing patient education on his blog. 

#3. Establishes Your Expertise  

Blogging can establish you as the go-to person in your field of expertise, increasing your credibility and online visibility. Dr Howard Luks, a Board-Certified Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Surgeon points to his post on whether or not a meniscus tear requires surgery  as “the most valuable question I answer on my website and the greatest driver of traffic. Since I first posted the answer to that question in March of 2011, I have had more than 80,000 views on my website for that question alone and 235 comments”.

#4. Increases Your Online Visbility

According to the latest Pew Research 72% of internet users say they looked online for health information within the past year with 77% of online health seekers using a search engine. Yet the majority of Internet users don’t scroll past the first page of search results. 35% of U.S. adults say that at one time or another they have gone online specifically to try to figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have.  The most commonly-researched topics are specific diseases or conditions, treatments or procedures, and doctors or other health professionals. Google uses a variety of ranking factors in their algorithm and while some are controversial, evidence shows that good quality content with credible references and links and appropriate keywords on a regularly updated blog is a proven ranking factor.  

#5. Creates A Community Of Change 

Blogging can be a vehicle for change. Health and social care change agent, Mary Freer writes that she blogs “because I want to have a conversation with you about the way we can shape the health system. Not in some heroic way, but little by little, people joining together and determining that they will reveal who they are and what they really care about”.  

#6. Provides Opportunity To Learn From Patient Blogs

Family practitioner Dr Clive Brock believes that “patients have the best stories to learn with”. Increasingly you will find those stories online in patient blogs. These blogs provide a rich repository of information about the lived experience of a disease. Patient advocate, Isabel Jordan of Canada’s Rare Disease Foundation believes that “healthcare professionals can hear the unfiltered truth from patient blogs”.

#7. Humanizes Your Practice

While it’s important to maintain ethical and professional standards online, it is still possible to share personal anecdotes from your own experiences practicing medicine or a particular patient case study (in compliance with HIPAA guidelines).  Blogging  also allows you to show the person behind the stethoscope. Dr Brian Stork is a Michigan-based urologist with a passion for bee-keeping which he shares about on his blog alongside more traditional health related topics.  

Next Steps

If you are already a healthcare professional who blogs, I hope this article has made you reflect on your own blogging motivation.  If you haven’t started a blog yet but this article has piqued your interest, I will be sharing more tips and advice on starting and promoting a healthcare blog in the coming weeks. So stay tuned. 

TAGGED:Beyond the Buzz
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025
paramedics in surgical gloves and masks
How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
Health care
July 16, 2025

You Might also Like

patient safety
BusinessHospital AdministrationPolicy & Law

Britain’s Patient-Safety Crisis Holds Lessons for All

November 3, 2013

What Healthcare Could Learn from a Technology Company

August 12, 2014
Bridging The Gap In Multi-Generational Medical Marketing
Business

Bridging The Gap In Multi-Generational Medical Marketing

October 18, 2017

The Importance of Patient Advocates for Orphan Drugs

April 19, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?