Doximity: Facebook for physicians

There are social networks for photo lovers, dog walkers and fitness fanatics, so it’s no surprise a new one has cropped up in the US for doctors and other medical professionals to connect and share their experiences.

The new web-based network and mobile app, called Doximity, aims to bring medical professionals together in a super secure environment, which has medical grade encryptions so everything is kept private. However, once you’re all signed in, the whole point of Doximity is that those working in different disciplines can be open about their work and communicate across departments about patient care.

Despite the fact 11% of all US physicians are signed up to it most of us probably haven’t heard of it, but you don’t need to. The network exists solely for physicians as a way to connect, share their experiences and most importantly avoid any medical mistakes and errors that can arise from miscommunication, as Venture Beat states that 65% of serious medical errors take place due to a lack of proper communication between care providers. That’s a pretty high percentage.

Jeff Tangney, the Founder and Chief Executive of Doximity, told VentureBeat:

“Doximity is the largest and only real-name identified and verified private physician communications platform.

“Unlike traditional social media, Doximity enables doctors to securely discuss patient care in a private, closed, HIPAA-secure environment.”

Of course there are other companies providing medical professionals with similar spaces to talk to one another, but the fact Doximity exists as a mobile app and on the web certainly makes it a great option for doctors regardless of how they prefer to communicate. We’re not sure whether an app can solve all of the miscommunication problems that occur in the medical profession, but it could be a good way to start addressing some of the more serious issues.

Available to doctors in the US via iTunes.

[Via Venture Beat]