Everything is now online. Marketing businesses have gone to this route especially during the pandemic. It is said that most businesses today can no longer survive without an online presence.
This also included artists. We have seen most of them being more active in social media these days. Particularly for those from a major television station that just closed its doors.
Why is this so? When you are selling something, there is always a by-product of what is peddled. And this by-product can be extended to include more potential clients, more satisfied individuals, and more sales. This is called influence. And physical presence is not needed for this.
As a physician, there is a mindset that the only product that one has is the ability to heal. It may be the physician’s most lucrative business. But that is no longer true today. A doctor can create online teaching materials. Just look at Dr. Willie Ong, who earns more through his YouTube channel. Or a physician can write a book on his or her experiences. It does not have to be limited to non-fiction, but one can venture into fiction as well.
This is what we now have with the advent of technology, and even with a pandemic, one’s influence remains because our world has now become interconnected.
But with this comes greater responsibility. To ensure that only the truth comes out. To acknowledge your source of information. To make sure that your message reaches the right people. Companies and individuals must be conscious of this.
The best by-product of being a physician is influence. Just as marketing professionals try to exert influence to sell a product or service, it is actually a doctor’s influence that spurs patients to action. The mere act of going to a doctor for a medical consultation is a chore, even if it is done online. What would happen if a doctor does not recognize this reality and nonchalantly tries to rattle off one question after another without empathy? Can you make a person comfortable during a physical exam? Can a doctor truly make a patient feel her compassion even if the encounter is done virtually? How is this influence utilized to improve treatment outcomes?
This aspect of healing becomes even more important at the end of life. How can you give hope to the hopeless? How can you create an environment of joviality in misery? No amount of training can actually create this ability. It is simply inherent in a physician’s DNA. It is there. It simply has to be expressed, like a promoter unwinding the cell’s gene to unlock its potential.
We have heard of the placebo effect and its negative connotation. It is time to use the placebo effect for a positive outcome. In this day and age, when technology has started to take over most of human function, there is something that gadgets and equipment can never replace. It is the healing power of the human touch. Healing is the by-product of the physician’s heart.