Presentation given to doctors from the MENA/GCC region outlining the scale of doctors’ social networks worldwide and their impact on the practice of medicine. Special focus on the potential of networks in the MENA/GCC region, highlighting opportunities they offer to support national healthcare reform programmes. Lessons and parallels from China.

1. Doctors’ Social Networks
Boosting standards of medical care
Supporting health reform programmes
Len Starnes
Digital healthcare consultant
Berlin
Tabuk Cardiovascular Convention
Cannes, France
9th November 2019

2. What are they exactly?
Trusted communities of authenticated
medical professionals, combined with
medical education, news and drug
database resources

3. Global
dimensions
2
Behaviours
& impacts
3
1
Origins &
inspiration
4
Future
scenarios

4. Origins &
inspiration

5. Daniel Palestrant
Health 2.0
pioneer
Co-founder of
Sermo, world’s
first doctors’
social network

6. Sparked a global phenomenon
Launched 2007

7. Global
dimensions

8. 12 years of sustained growth
20102007
>150 networks
> 8.5m HCPs
Aggregate global
membership
2019
5m
10m
Based on annual stated membership numbers 2007 - 2019
2015

9. 12 years of sustained growth
20102007
>150 networks
> 8.5m HCPs
Aggregate global
membership
2019
5m
10m
Based on annual stated membership numbers 2007 - 2019
2015
>150 networks
> 6.5m doctors

10. Asia Pacific, inc
China, Japan, Korea
5.5m members
Europe & Americas
inc Mexico, Brazil, Russia
3m members
Asia Pacific dominates
Sales

11. More popular than
Sales
//zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/
www.reference.com/world-view/many-doctors-world-
ef3c66521bd289a8
Sales
30%*
of world population
use Facebook
43%*
of doctors worldwide use
doctors’ social networks
*Status: October 2019
Based on 15m doctors WW

12. Largest in USA
> 1m members
> 70% US doctors
Mobile-first focus
Doximity
Status: 2 October 2019

13. Largest in UK
> 236,000 members
> 50,000 use daily
Operates
international network
of 22 DSNs
Doctors.net.uk
Status: 2 October 2019

14. Largest in Germany
Coliquio
> 42,000 users daily
73 specialist
discussion groups
> 1.6m questions,
answers, comments
Status:
October
2019

15. DXY 丁香园
Open to all HCPs in clinical
practice, life sciences,
R&D, health industry
Collaborates with Chinese
gov to support healthcare
reform programme
Largest worldwide > 4 million members

16. MENA/GCC region’s
first network
Launched
2014
Closed
2015

17. MENA/GCC region’s
active network
https://facmedicine.com/
Targets doctors in
MENA/GCC region
and worldwide
Based in Egypt

18. *Status: 2 October 2019
2,019
1,216
1,121
958
938
GP
General
surgery
Internal
medicine
Pediatrics
Ortho
surgery
Top specialities*
From 164 countries From 74 specialities
Egypt rules
7,202
1,602
357
327
308
Selected MENA/GCC
membership*
Egypt
KSA
Algeria
Jordan
UAE
Total
10,748

19. www.g-med.com
G-Med Physicians
Largest global network
> 1m members
120 countries
100 specialities
Ultra high-tech platform,
voice/video/text/picture
communities, insights from
global organic discussions
Status: 2 October 2019

20. *Status: 2 October 2019
Family med
GP
Internal
medicine
Obgyn
Cardiology
Pulmonology
14,500
4,006
3,500
3,000
3,000
Top specialities
MENA/GCC*
Total membership
MENA/GCC
59,000
From 100 specialities
MENA/GCC membership
> 5x larger than
FacMedicine’s

21. Behaviours
& impacts

22. Seeking best
treatment options
Seeking specialist
expert advice
Monitoring trending
medical news
Seeking 2nd opinion
on diagnoses
Monitoring latest
research findings Tracking medical and
health policy issues
Catching up
with colleagues
Participating in
CME programmes
Most used offerings

23. How to remove without damaging finger?
Desperately seeking
best treatment option
Posted on Sermo

24. 8,166 views
16 comments from 9 countries
Rheumatologist seeking help
for patient with CML
G-Med
April 2019

25. Medical
Crowdsourcing
Enables and accelerates
dissemination of
medical expertise

26. Impacts on health
reform programmes
Lessons from China
2009 - 2018

27. *The BMJ - China’s health system reforms: review of
10 years of progress www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l2349
Primary healthcare
Expand capacity for
educating & training GPs
Public hospitals
Encourage use of
clinical pathways
& guidelines
Status 2018
Training of healthcare
providers remains a
critical issue
Educational
reform policies

28. Haoyisheng
The good doctor
Focus on training and education

29. Emphasis on Western
evidence-based medicine
Status: October 2019
www.haoyisheng.com
Extraordinary scale of
eCME resources
Tailored educational
programmes for
rural health technicians
Largest
provider of
eCME
Serves
2m HCPs

30. Stanley Li, Chairman DXY
Healthcare visionary
& TEDx rock star
丁香园
www.tedxsanfrancisco.com/talk-stanley-li

31. Stanley Li
Chairman
DXY, China
Policies to improve access
to & quality of healthcare
Enabling patient-doctor
online consultations
Developing expertise in
patient monitoring & care
for diabetes management
www.slideshare.net/lenstarnes/0-years-of-doctors-social-
networks-what-have-we-learnt-what-can-we-expect
香园

32. Stanley Li
Chairman
DXY, China
Welcome to ICE香园
Public health information
Non-communicable disease management

33. Primary impacts
Improves health
outcomes
Lowers health
service costs

34. Create a dedicated doctors’ social
network to support the objectives of the
KSA Vision 2030 Healthcare Programme
Opportunity
www.tamimi.com/law-update-articles/vision-2030-and-the-
opportunities-it-represents-in-healthcare-in-saudi-arabia///vision2030.gov.sa/en

35. ‘Improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of the healthcare sector through the use of
information technology and digital transformation’*
Objectives include
*www.tamimi.com/law-update-articles/vision-2030-and-the-
opportunities-it-represents-in-healthcare-in-saudi-arabia/
Opportunities for foreign investors*:
- Increased use of information technology
- Healthcare education
- Provision of improved training facilities
- Enhanced professional development
//vision2030.gov.sa/en

36. Key features
MoH partnership with reputable DSN
Dedicated Vision 2030 Healthcare microsite
Platform operated/maintained by commercial partner
Platform managed by independent SM/IT/medical team
Integration with clinical and admin workflows
Interoperability with EHRs

37. Future
scenarios

38. 5 predictions
Global networks will become increasingly important
More partnerships with governments, medical
socs, patient organizations, other HC stakeholders
Integration into national HC system workflows
More efficient & faster medical crowdsourcing
Increasing use of cognitive computer systems to
glean deeper insights from community discussions

39. 10 years of
doctors’ social networks
What have we learnt? What can we expect?
Views from leading doctors’ social networks
Len Starnes
Digital healthcare consultant

40. www.slideshare.net/lenstarnes/0-years-of-
doctors-social-networks-what-have-we-learnt-
what-can-we-expect
www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-years-doctors-social-
networks-what-have-we-learnt-can-len-starnes/
Learn more

41. lenstarnes@gmail.com
T: + 49 30 781 5513
M: + 49 172 1788253
Skype: lenstarnes
linkedin.com/in/lenstarnes
twitter.com/lenstarnes
slideshare.net/lenstarnes
Len Starnes
Digital Healthcare
Research & Consulting