Twitter started as social networking or microblogging that combines blogging and instant messaging. Users can create a short message of up to 140 characters ( called “tweets”), send and receive updates from any computer or mobile devices with Internet access.
Tweets are instantly available to the “followers”, so it is a quick way of communicating with a group of people. Twitter has become a major distributor of timely information, particularly in the area of breaking news. The 1st reports of the crash of a US jetliner into the Hudson River in January 2009 were sent by witnesses on Twitter.
Many medical journals and organisations have started to use Twitter to disseminate information quickly to large groups of people.
For example - "Are probiotic drinks good for children? Looking at research we agree they may have small benefit for some illnesses " - was a tweet by NHS Choices
BMJ, The Lancet, NEJM, JAMA and many others also use Twitter to provide Table of Contents (TOC) service with links to the most current articles.
If you use Twitter to share medical information and opinion, beware of the issues of confidentiality.
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