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Because most patients consult “Dr. Google” and
social media before seeking medical attention, many
surgeons have become active curators of online medical information. Although social media may have yet
to find a role in direct patient care, numerous surgeons have forged a professional online presence to
provide patient education to the general public as well
as emotional support to patients at large. Surgeons are
making this type of contact with patients through blog
posts, Facebook pages, You Tube videos, tweets, and
tweetchats.
Deanna Attai, MD, FACS, co-moderator of the
#BCSM (breast cancer social media) Twitter support
chat, is an example of a surgeon who uses social media
to connect with the general public. Dr. Attai considers social media to be a powerful tool for providing
patients with education, support, and guidance.
9 She
specifically uses Twitter to disseminate information
about new studies, dispel myths, and encourage second
opinions when appropriate. She also has discovered
that social media offers an unprecedented opportunity to learn from her patients. Dr. Attai’s experience
moderating the online breast cancer chat has fostered
a deeper understanding and appreciation for the patient
experience—insights that she may not have been able
to glean from 15-minute office visits. [Personal communication between Dr. Logghe and Dr. Attai, March
19, 2016.]
The evolving surgeon stereotype
These changes in the patient-physician relationship are
transforming the public’s perception of surgeons
and our profession. The traditional surgeon arche-
type has been the “mythical surgeon”—someone
paged in the middle of the night, a well-coiffed demi-
god who glides into a patient’s room with only a
few moments to frame the gravitas of the situation
before urgently charging to the operating room to
save the patient’s life. Patients did not communicate
with the traditional surgeon; they experienced him
(gender intentional), left only to wonder in awe.
Lack of access to medical information compounded
by reverence for the dedication and expertise of the
surgeon seemingly obviated the need for patients
to understand the profound effects of their disease
on their own experiences.
The democratization of information over the last
two decades is changing patients’ perceptions of the
surgical profession, and that change has produced
a subtle yet significant reshaping of the way that
patients receive their care. Today’s surgeon is stepping down from Mount Olympus to engage with
the public through commentary on Facebook and
Twitter and other social media platforms. As one
patient-blogger stated, “These surgeons go home
at night like the rest of us and eat dinner, toss and
turn in bed wondering about the complexities of
life, brush their teeth, laugh, cry, wipe a child’s
tear, hug a friend in need, run, weight lift, play the
violin…”
10 In short, these new lines of communication with our patients are driving the ascent of a
new surgeon archetype: the “human surgeon.” This
trend toward the humanization of the surgeon has
paralleled the shift in patient care from physician
paternalism toward patient autonomy and shared
decision making.
While advances in communication and access to
information have coincided with a symbiotic evolution in the patient-physician relationship, they have
also resulted in unintended consequences that are
often at odds with surgeons’ own perceptions of,
and aspirations for, our profession. For instance, the
importance of patient-centeredness is underscored
by a multitude of new regulatory policies requiring
physicians to divulge practice outcomes and patient
satisfaction scores.
11, 12 Consider the situation when
the WebMD-prepared patient presents to the surgeon’s office with a clear diagnosis and an even
clearer expectation of an operation. If, after thoughtful consideration of the patient’s mind and body,
the surgeon recommends an alternate treatment
plan, the patient may report a low satisfaction score,
even if the surgeon’s recommendation embodied the
utmost compassion and appropriate application of
medical knowledge. From the surgeon’s perspective,
