How Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs) in Clinical Care are Changing the Medical Landscape.

Clinical experts are embracing the use of social media platforms for medical education, outreach, data sharing, and content dissemination within the medical community. In this interview, Dr. Khoi Than, a specialist in minimally invasive spinal surgery explains his role as a content creator and curator on social media platforms and describes how he uses surgical videos and opinion polls to educate and explore decision making behind surgical interventions. Dr. Than shares neurosurgery and spinal surgery techniques in the USA and internationally with trainees using interactivity and images to engage his followers. He believes that the ability to share operative techniques and research findings widely and instantly at the click of a button offers substantial benefits for patients. In this interview, Dr. Than reflects on how he engages with peers, students, and patients, how digital opinion leaders are making research more accessible, how social media has affected virtual conferences, and what advantages digital opinion leaders have over traditional key opinion leaders.