Reunión de la Medicina de Emergencia - Impacto de las redes sociales (RRSS) en la práctica clínica en urgencias

Validated pediatric societies and professionals use social media to transmit evidence-based information, but many families also encounter unvalidated sources.

Younger clinicians increasingly use social media (Twitter, podcasts, YouTube) as alternative sources for continuing medical education.

Twitter is used to share validated pediatric content, including news, evidence summaries, and podcasts that provide rapid 2-3 minute overviews of recent studies on specific conditions.

Cincinnati's emergency department runs social media campaigns on respiratory illnesses (e.g., RSV, croup, fever) in Spanish, providing families with validated information via videos and infographics.

Anti-vaccine movements are strong on social media and can cause harm by spreading misinformation.

ChatGPT can fabricate datasets and research results; an example cited involved an article titled "ChatGPT created a fake dataset with screwed results" where the AI invented data to complete a research project.

UpToDate is the primary rapid-reference tool used by the panelists for clinical questions.

Half of families discharged from the pediatric emergency department leave without knowing what to do at home (e.g., how to perform nasal lavage, check temperature, manage fever).

Cincinnati Children's Hospital created YouTube videos with step-by-step instructions (nasal lavage, fever management, cough/congestion care) that nurses share via QR codes at discharge, available in Spanish and English.

Visual content (images, videos) is processed by the human brain much faster than written text, making it more effective for patient education.

Parents often arrive at the emergency department with extensive differential diagnoses and treatment expectations based on Google searches, creating anxiety and demanding unnecessary tests.

Clinicians must know how to calm anxious parents with evidence-based information when they arrive with misinformation from social media.

A case example: a parent from the Dominican Republic insisted on a chest X-ray for their child with mild head trauma because "everyone gets X-rays" in their home country, despite the X-ray having no clinical value for the presentation.

Hospitals are not proactive enough in using local media and social networks to educate the public about common conditions like bronchiolitis during epidemic seasons.

Filtering misinformation and educating families takes significant clinician time, contributing to emergency department overcrowding with patients who do not meet admission criteria.

In Peru and Latin America, "sobadores" (folk bone-setters) are promoted on social media for fracture and dislocation treatment, which can worsen injuries rather than help.

A future goal is for AI to fully automate medical note-writing, allowing clinicians to focus entirely on patient care.

Search algorithms (Google, social media) should prioritize validated, evidence-based sources over sources ranked by popularity or payment.

A global network where institutions share evidence-based clinical protocols (e.g., for bronchiolitis, asthma, dengue) and compare outcomes in real time could reduce reliance on single-society guidelines and improve care.