Doctors shouldn’t retreat from social media just because their words carry extra weight there — they should use that weight responsibly, argues oncologist Dr. Vanessa Harry in an opinion piece for the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. Harry notes that “when a doctor speaks publicly about a medical issue, their words carry weight,” pointing to viral, oversimplified claims about hormonal contraception, fertility, and “trendy” late-in-life pregnancy that gloss over real, individual risk factors.
The line between personal opinion and medical advice blurs the moment a credentialed physician posts it, Harry writes, since “a statement made by an ordinary social media user may simply be a personal opinion. The same statement made by a doctor can be interpreted as medical advice.” Her fix isn’t silence but standards: international medical societies already ask doctors to keep online content “factual, understandable and professionally responsible.”
Her conclusion doubles as a mission statement for physician-influencers everywhere: “being relatable is good, being entertaining is fine, but being medically influential comes with responsibility.”
