Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/556451
A SOCIAL MEDIA site for physicians is proving to be a powerful tool to solve medical mysteries. A branch-like specimen coughed up by a 14-year-old patient was unlike anything Easton Jackson, MD, had ever seen. So he turned to SERMO, a social network that links providers from around the world. Utilized by more than 340,000 physicians, SERMO allows physicians to anonymously post photos and share clinical information with a diverse population of colleagues. They compare notes and devise solutions to enigmatic cases. "With SERMO, you can quickly get a dozen responses from a variety of specialties," says Dr. Jackson, a family medicine physician and the Electronic Medical Record Medical Director of Granger Medical Clinic in West Valley City, Utah. "Generally, you will always get an answer on there." COMMUNICATION IN ACTION Less than an hour after Dr. Jackson posted the photo to SERMO, a family medicine physician responded, suggesting that the specimen was a bronchial cast. A slew of other physicians quickly began to weigh in, as well — among them a pediatric cardiologist, allergists, pathologists and pulmonologists. Together, they confirmed that all signs were pointing to Fontan-Associated Plastic Bronchitis, a condition that sometimes develops in children who have undergone cardiac surgery. Not treated properly, it can be life-threatening. Based on the feedback he received from his colleagues, Dr. Jackson sent the boy to a cardiologist for immediate consultation. Two days later, cardiac specialists successfully treated the child. "On SERMO, there are hundreds of thousands [of specialists], and you can get their expertise immediately and from all over the country and now into Great Britain as well since they've opened it up to UK doctors," says Dr. Jackson. "Take advantage of your colleagues and their experience and expertise." Crowdsourced Clinical Solutions