New research shows that physicians who exercise and don’t smoke are much more likely to recommend healthy lifestyle changes to their patients than their smoking or non-exercising colleagues.

Researchers surveyed 1,000 primary care physicians and found that the ones who exercised at least once a week or who didn’t smoke were twice as likely to recommend five key lifestyle changes to patients suffering from hypertension: eating a healthy diet, reducing their salt intake, reaching or maintaining a healthy weight, limiting their use of alcohol and exercising regularly.

According to an article in American Medical News, the findings were presented at a March 14 meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA). “Practicing what we preach is important,” Jo Marie Reilly, MD, an associate professor at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, is quoted saying. “Physicians are just more aware and better able to counsel patients if they take care of themselves.”

“Physicians who are healthier themselves are more apt to counsel patients about healthy lifestyle and diet,” agrees Ralph Sacco, MD, immediate past president of AHA and chairman of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “They are more educated, more personally invested in personal health and therefore, better health advocates for their patients.”

Reilly notes that physicians who are not themselves physically fit can still recommend a healthy lifestyle to their patients, using their own experiences to relate to patients’ struggles. “It’s really important that we take that time to counsel patients about how their health habits influence their lives at each visit, and that we look at that as important as any medication,” she says.

What do you think? Does your doctor discuss healthy lifestyles with you? If you’re a health care provider, do you raise the subject with your patients? Register below to leave a comment.

Read a related blog post by Rashawn Ray, PhD, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholar in Health Policy Research.

A study released earlier this month finds that doctors are increasingly using social media to interact with other doctors, through online physician communities. More than 65 percent of physicians use social media for professional purposes, according to the study conducted by QuantiaMD and the Care Continuum Alliance.

But doctors are still hesitant to use social media to interact with patients, the study reports. Although nearly 90 percent of the physicians surveyed use at least one site for personal use, three-quarters of the physicians who say a patient tried to “friend” them on Facebook declined or ignored the request.

Only 11 percent of physicians reported that they were familiar with one or more online patient communities. “While a group of 60 - 80 percent of physicians see the potential for a wide range of physician-patient online interactions, this level of interest is notably lower than for physician-physician interactions,” the study says.

Many professional health care organizations have taken note of these trends and issued guidelines on appropriate social media use.

The American Medical Association adopted a social media policy last year that, among other recommendations, suggests separating personal and professional content, using privacy settings, and being conscious of patient confidentiality and privacy.

The Principles for Social Networking and the Nurse: Guidance for the Registered Nurse, released by the American Nurses Association (ANA), also emphasizes patient confidentiality, and professional and ethical standards. The organization recently hosted a day-long Facebook discussion and Twitter chat on social media issues, and will host a social media webinar in October.

"The principles are informed by professional foundational documents including the Code of Ethics for Nurses and standards of practice,” ANA President Karen A. Daley, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, said. “Nurses and nursing students have an obligation to understand the nature, benefits and potential consequences of participating in social networking.”

What do you think? What should health care professionals consider when using social media? Should they use it to interact with patients? Register below to leave a comment.