Social Media Benefits Delivery of Care in This Pediatric Practice

Sara Hamil and Dr. Paul Dempsey

Sara Hamil and Dr. Paul Dempsey

Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows that I’m a big fan of Quinte Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Dr. Paul Dempsey (@drpauldempsey) and Sara Hamil  (@QuintePediatric), and how they use social media. They got started for all the right reasons like “taking down the walls of their practice”, building community amongst their patient families, sharing credible and useful resources and connecting with other healthcare professionals. But what struck me most 2 years ago when our paths first crossed is that Quinte Pediatrics’ has heart.

As their portfolio of social media grows, adding LinkedIn, Foursquare and Google+ to their original suite of blog, texting, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, Dr. Dempsey and his team are always on the lookout for new and novel ways to improve communications with team members and with their patient families. Their next step is Wellx.ca, an online secure patient portal.

On April 16, 8AM EDT, Paul and Sara will be presenting at Pediatric Grand Rounds at Queen’s University in Kingston. Beyond the basics, they’ll be sharing their insights on the role of a social media specialist in the delivery of health care and explain how social media has brought tangible benefits to the delivery of care in their pediatric practice. Be sure to tune in using the hashtag #QPedsGR.

Back in May 2012, I interviewed Paul. (I beg you to skip the boring introduction and start watching at 1:20.) While Quinte Pediatrics’ use of social media continues to evolve, their guiding principles remain true to their original objectives. Have a listen as Paul answers these questions:

• Who did you want to connect with and why? 
• How did you get started? What social media tools do you use?
• What’s the “What and Where” game?
• Who’s Sara?
• Have you run into any surprises or unexpected benefits?
• How do you integrate social media into your day and into your workflow?
• What one piece of advice would you give to your colleagues wanting to use social media?