A recent post on the Health Express blog reports on how Healthcare providers are using social media and highlights specifically studies on the subject, examples from the Mayo clinic and the following tips for using social media in the healthcare industry:

If you plan to use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube, you might heed some of the following tips for your own credibility and job insurance:

• Learn the platforms: Learn how to use each social media tool to your advantage, which means learning how to use privacy controls and other customizations.

Social networking for doctors is quickly gaining popularity. Doctors across the country are using social networking tools to give patients’ families, as well as the public, an eye into operating rooms, according to a recent Miami Herald article.

In an effort to educate the public on medical procedures and calm the fears of patients’ families, doctors are providing real-time updates and videos illustrating step-by-step medical procedures.

The article shares an example of social networking for doctors:

In the waiting room, the patient’s family members circled a Blackberry. About every 15 minutes, Dr. Carlos Wolf of Miami Plastic Surgery gave them a few keystrokes of information about how the patient was doing.