By David Alfi, DDS, MD, FACS, and Jonathan Alfi, MFA
Social media has provided my practice with tremendous growth and success. Before reading on, I encourage you to start by following and reviewing my Instagram profile: @dr.davidalfi.
This article will highlight how and why this phenomenon is taking place today, and it all starts with the revolution of the digital age and appreciating the tools available.
Like many of you who grew up in a simpler time, pre-email, pre-internet, and in the analog world, I witnessed firsthand a revolution of how we access information, communicate, and even live. Basic daily conditions and functions that persisted for centuries changed seemingly overnight. It became apparent that technology is advancing and continuing to do so at faster rates. Retail and commercial worlds, of course, adopted and led this transformation because of the financial incentives to do so. However, the practice of medicine and its subsidiaries have often played catch up because of factors that include degrees of specialization, traditions in education, and diverse motives.
As the ways of our industry are changing, we should look outside of medicine to better understand modern marketing trends, one of which is the customization of the client experience. The retail world, for instance, has exploded in commerce that allows for accessible, custom preparations of goods. Food vendors customizing burrito bowls, clothing vendors making custom suits, and car manufacturers entering into the made-to-order realm are a testament to how companies are seeking to interact with their clientele on a level which is more for the individual. Technology and manufacturing have evolved in a way for this customization of goods to not only be accessible, but affordable. This has become true in medicine too. And it’s easy to argue that customization is more important in medicine than any other industry because no two individuals have the same problems. People have unique problems, and they require unique treatments.
Technology is changing the way we practice oral and maxillofacial surgery. Personally, the way I practice today is far different than the way I was trained. Orthognathic surgery, for example, used to require hours of planning, with analog lab work to prepare teeth-guided splints with limited accuracy. This translated to an operation that took 4–6 hours to complete. Today, I plan cases virtually within minutes and use custom-printed guides and plates to deliver highly accurate results in a surgery that only takes 1–2 hours.
Just like we look to revolutionize what can be achieved through surgery, we should also strive to advance the way we communicate with our patients. I like to think of communication in terms of exposure and interaction.
Traditional marketing has largely been limited to a local geographical referral base, print media, and exhausting in-person meetups. These practices are costly, time-consuming, and provide limited reach. Social media solves these issues and expands our message to exponentially more people. And it is not limited by geography or time! The return of investment is exponentially better. Hours of activity and messaging occur even when I am sleeping.
Beyond exposure, and unlike traditional forms of media, digital media allows for interaction. And that interaction can quell anxieties about surgery, promote excitement, and perhaps most importantly, serve as a peer review medium. This helps us unpack the truth about treatment and advance medical care.
Now, for the academics in this audience, here is an unpopular opinion: social media is superior for its ability to harvest organic peer review. Peer review and discussion have always been integral to bettering treatments. Social media disseminates information to the world in real time and makes it a way more powerful platform for peer-reviewed information than any journal can garner. A writer that submits a scientific position to a popular journal will only have had the presented data peer-reviewed by a small, like-minded and non-diverse group. Meanwhile, the internet doesn’t gate keep ideas in this way.
Also, it is not true that peer-reviewed journals are the most scientific and unbiased means of data distribution in the name of medical advancement. If I’m to freely publish my innovations, research, or data on a public social platform in real time, it’s immediately available to peers around the world and subject to their expert scrutiny. The power in the number of opinions and viewership that can actually interpret, appreciate, and challenge my work is exponentially greater. The Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, an important publication without doubt, has a circulation of around 7,000 readers. But my reach on Instagram alone (at the time of this article) is 47,000 viewers per week!
Using social media to highlight our advancements also shows what’s possible to those outside of the medical community. We have fascinating tools and equipment in our office that can show 3D renderings of anatomy, the before and after of an airway, simulated surgery, etc., that are commonplace to us, but eye-opening to many. Social media allows me to explain the methodology and surgical philosophy not only to surgeons, but it gives prospective patients more insight on how their personal journey fits into the world of orthognathic surgery. I can directly communicate with amazing people from around the world who suffer from sleep apnea, jaw misalignment, or different pathologies that may have been apprehensive to undergo surgery. Through social media, they can learn that there are procedures that are not only accessible but that are being done in revolutionary ways that cut down surgical time. People see advancements as the technology comes to fruition, when recovery becomes easier, when procedures become less invasive, and when results are amazing.
I welcome you to interact with me: @dr.davidalfi!
David Alfi, DDS, MD, FACS
Alfi Oral, Dental Implant & Facial Surgery
Dr. Alfi is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon with a special interest in craniofacial and orthognathic surgery and rehabilitation. He practices in Houston, TX.
Jonathan Alfi, MFA
Alfi Oral, Dental Implant & Facial Surgery
Jonathan is an expert virtual surgical planner and serves as Chief Innovation Officer at Alfi Oral, Dental Implant & Facial Surgery.