Purpose of review: Social media services dominate online consumption of information and play an ever expanding role in our lives. They are not only used to connect with friends and family but also to educate and recruit colleagues and patients, and to stay up-to-date with the new developments in the field of allergy and immunology.
Recent findings: There are known risks to social media user by health care professionals mostly related to breaches of patient confidentiality, professionalism, and privacy. Malpractice and liability risks have been linked to irresponsible use of social media. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current social media tools in allergy. We recommend a pragmatic approach to maximize social media tools for the allergy practice.
Keywords: Allergic rhinitis; Asthma; Blog; Facebook; Food allergy; Social media; Social network; Technology; Twitter; YouTube.