title: Review of Twitter for infectious diseases clinicians: useful or a waste of time?
abstract: Twitter is a social networking service that has emerged as a valuable tool for healthcare professionals (HCPs). It is the only platform that allows one to connect, engage, learn, and educate oneself and others in real time on a global scale. HCPs are using social media tools to communicate, educate, and engage with their peers worldwide. Twitter allows HCPs to deliver easily accessible "real-time" clinical information on a global scale. Twitter has more than 500 million active users who generate more than 58 million tweets and 2.1 billion search queries every day. Here, we explain why Twitter is important, how and when an infectious diseases (ID) HCP should use Twitter, the impact it has in disseminating ID news, and its educational value. We also describe various tools within Twitter, such as Twitter Chat, that connect and bond HCPs on a specific topic. Twitter may help ID HCPs teach others about the global responsible use of antimicrobials in a world of escalating antimicrobial resistance.
authors: Department of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus.
authors: Debra A
authors: DA
authors: Goff
authors: Clinical Scientific Director, Department of Medical Affairs, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Lexington, Massachusetts.
authors: Ravina
authors: R
authors: Kullar
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's Mercy Hospital-Kansas City, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Missouri.
authors: Jason G
authors: JG
authors: Newland
mesh_terms: D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003625:Data Collection; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods*; D061108:Social Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Twitter; education; infectious diseases; social media