Navigating Information Overload on Social Media: Opportunities and Misadventures for Clinicians and Professionals

In an age with numerous online and social media platforms where families, clinicians, and professionals rely more on the internet and social media for information finding, sharing, understanding, and analyzing medical literature is more complex than ever.Navigating social media has become increasingly difficult with misinformation and disinformation concerns and the growing number of dissemination methods.Social media plays an ever-increasingly significant role in facilitating or hindering the practice of evidence-based medicine.There are ever-growing challenges to practicing medicine in the age of social media.This article describes the benefits and risks of using social media for health professionals to stay updated with medical literature and provides best-use practices for critical appraisal, specifically for adapting essential techniques of appraisal when encountering social media.This article also describes best-use practices for understanding and collaborating with colleagues and partnering with families in information sharing.