If radiology had a dean of Twitter, it would be Dr. Rich Duszak. Known by his nom de tweet @RichDuszak, Duszak wears two hats in the real world: He is the vice chair of radiology at Emory University and also the chief medical officer at the American College of Radiology (ACR) Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute (HPI).
But in the world of social media, Duszak is the undisputed leader of tweeters, with a Twitter following of nearly 10,000 -- by far the largest among radiologists. In a conversation with AuntMinnie.com (@AuntMinnie), Duszak explains what prompted him to take to Twitter, and what value he derives from the social media platform.
AuntMinnie: Why did you decide to start tweeting?
Duszak: My good friend Dr. Geraldine McGinty (@DrGMcGinty) turned me on to Twitter right about the time we started up the Neiman Health Policy Institute. We were talking about maximizing our messaging and outreach, and engaging radiologists and other stakeholders in our policy, research, and leadership discussions.
How much of your day do you spend on it?
Dr. Richard Duszak talks about all things Twitter.In net, it's not really as much as it seems given how active I am. I've always been someone who likes to read lots of short impactful articles, and always struggled to find a way to identify those most important to me from all the noise that's out there. Twitter has turned into a perfect medium for that. I preferentially follow folks who post links to material I like, and then often use that as the basis for my own Twitter activity. So, it's really not much more time than I'd otherwise spend scribbling notes or sending links to friends -- except that the outreach potential is much more powerful.
What topics do you like to tweet about?
Radiology and healthcare in general, focusing on economics, safety, quality, and leadership.
Do you participate in live Twitter events such as tweet chats?
My busy schedule makes it tough to tweet at predefined hours, but when I've been able to join these sessions, it's been worthwhile. I co-moderated a session for the Journal of the American College of Radiology in January, and it was a lot of fun -- and a good bit of work, too, to prepare good material to stimulate "conversation."
Are there specific instances when you find Twitter to be particularly valuable, such as during conferences?
I think it's a hugely powerful tool for medical meetings, and I see a huge opportunity there. Dr. Matt Hawkins (@MattHawkinsMD), Dr. Jim Rawson (@Jim_Rawson_MD), and I just published an analysis of activity at RSNA conferences in JACR and are big believers in its future potential to bring meeting content to those who can't attend (or are attending other sessions).
What tools do you use for tweeting and following Twitter? TweetDeck, HootSuite, etc.?
I tend not to sleep much, and tweets at weird hours often don't get read very much, so I've cut and pasted tweets at times into HootSuite, so as to push them out at times they'll be more likely to be seen. Additionally, it works great at busy meetings when I know there are things I want to tweet but will be too distracted to remember to push something out (e.g., before refresher courses at RSNA announcing my topic).
What other social media tools do you use for work purposes, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, etc.?
Twitter is the only medium I use for work purposes. Facebook is really reserved for family and close friends.
Who do you follow?
I know lots of folks just hit "follow" on a litany of professional societies, but I tend to be much more selective, since it's such a struggle to keep up with the "inbox." I prefer individual thought leaders over "PR office machines" for content. A large number are physicians, but many are economists, researchers, and business leaders.
Do you do anything specifically to try to build your following?
Content is king, and I'm a big believer that folks will eventfully find -- and follow -- those who have good messages. I keep silly chatter to a minimum and usually focus on issues related to my professional space of healthcare economics, quality/safety, and leadership, but will occasionally comment on key current events (e.g., the huge ice storm that pummeled us in Atlanta). Good content and good analyses get retweeted, and that in turn results in a larger follower base -- which means a bigger platform to communicate and engage.
Are there any topics that are off-limits?
For me, sales pitches and political rants are a turn-off on Twitter so I try to remain above the fray. That's a sure way for me to hit the "unfollow" button.
Do you have any "success stories" of connections you've made over social media that you feel have justified your time investment?
It's been a great way to keep up with professional contacts that I'd otherwise only see at meetings here and there. I tweet a lot, for example, with Dr. Matt Hawkins who will be joining us at Emory in July -- but otherwise wouldn't be staying in such close touch. I had "tweet ups" with @RasuShrestha and @GarryChoy at #RSNA13 -- faces I had seen regularly on Twitter but never met in person. That was pretty cool, as we shared "I think I know you from somewhere looks" and then it clicked. I had a scheduled "tweet up" with @BhavyaRehaniMD at #RSNA13, and that was like old friends catching up, even though we had only communicated in 140 characters before.
Do you feel that Twitter and other social media tools are primarily for radiologists to communicate with peers, or do you also see a role for contact with patients? If so, what?
Twitter is a really powerful tool to engage all stakeholders in healthcare-related discussions -- and patients are hugely important. But we do need to be careful that the physician-patient relationship doesn't get compromised. For me, individual patient "Hey doc, what do you think" conversations in Twitter are off-limits. Twitter isn't a good way to practice medicine.
How would you respond to someone who questions the value of spending time on Twitter and social media?
Try it. It might not be for you, but you won't know until you try. If your goal is to stay current and stay engaged in a topic that's important to you, Twitter is a great medium.
What do you feel you get out of your activities on Twitter?
With the terrific folks I follow, it's a tool for me to keep up with material that otherwise I'd just stumble upon later (or even completely miss). It's also a way to engage thought leaders. I've learned a lot -- a whole lot -- since I started becoming active.
You seem to have quite a few more Twitter followers than anyone else in radiology (nearly 10,000 compared to around 1,000 for other prominent radiologist tweeters). Any particular reason you see for that?
I'm not sure I have a great explanation. Some things I've read online suggest that folks who deliberately make it a priority to post curated content on a regular basis capture more followers. I'm not sure about that. I've wondered the same and occasionally check myself on Twitter Counter, looking at trends. It looks like it's really just been a gradual jump (i.e., not a big bump, for example, at RSNA where I gave a bunch of sessions and got modest press coverage).
One Twitter metric that Geraldine turned me on to is Klout, and as I've strived to have good content (my goal, by the way, is not necessarily to capture followers as much as it is primarily to get out HPI's and ACR's messages -- although followers are a means to that), my Klout score has gone up. That seems to fluctuate a lot more with meetings and the like, even though the number of followers overall gradually grows. So, I'm not sure I can put all the pieces together.
Do you have any suggestions for someone who is new to Twitter or is thinking about joining?
Give it a try. Follow some folks you respect who have interests similar to yours. Lurking quietly to figure out how it's done is a good way to start. At some point, though, get engaged.
