Will you find yourself Twitterpated?

Technology seems to be developing at light speed these days, especially in the oncology biotech sector. While this is both exciting and important because countless lives can be saved or considerably improved by such advances, you might find yourself suffering from information overload as you struggle to keep up with the latest literature and developments, many of which are brought to the forefront at key conferences. Furthermore, as a community-based oncologist, it may not be possible for you to take time away from your busy practice to attend all the conferences you’d like to, and even if you are able to squeeze the time out of your schedule, attending all the sessions that interest you may be next to impossible. So, how can you keep abreast of all this important, cutting-edge information, which could potentially help your patients?

One answer may lie in an unexpected source that seems to be making the news every day. You likely know what I’m talking about, but if not, I’ll give you a hint—Ashton Kutcher now has 1 million followers on it and Oprah recently joined it in her typical headline-grabbing manner. If you’ve guessed “Twitter,” you are right. Although many initially dismissed Twitter as an unnecessary distraction, it is gaining increasing credibility as many highly esteemed organizations and mainstream news outlets continue to sign up. So, this service is not just for those who wish to follow celebrities or know what their friend just had for breakfast. The appeal of Twitter is that it can give you access to lots of information, but in a very condensed format, allowing you to quickly hone in on the news and data that are most relevant to you and your practice. Check out the oncologist’s guide to Twitter to see how you can make meaningful use of this service, and if you do sign up or have already signed up, be sure to follow “HCPLive.” We will be twittering from numerous key oncology conferences, including ASCO. Who knows, following the right tweets may just leave you twitterpated.*

Thank you for reading.

Michael J. Hennessy

*Twitterpated: A real word, not Twitter-speak, meaning to be completely enamored with something.