Sermo

Sermo is a social networking site for licensed physicians, allowing them to consult with each other about patient cases, and to discuss and debate about current medical issues. It was founded in 2006 by Dr. Daniel Palestrant and currently has over 800,000 members worldwide.

History

Sermo was founded in 2006 by Dr. Daniel Palestrant, a surgical resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. The site was initially launched as a platform for physicians to share their clinical insights and experiences with each other. Over time, the site has evolved to include a wide range of features, including case consultations, discussions on current medical issues, and a marketplace for medical products and services.

Features

Sermo offers a variety of features to its members. These include:

• Case Consultations: Physicians can post patient cases and ask for input from other members. This allows for a wide range of perspectives and expertise to be brought to bear on complex medical issues.

• Discussions: Members can start or join discussions on a wide range of medical topics. These discussions can be about specific patient cases, current medical issues, or general topics of interest to the medical community.

• Marketplace: Sermo also offers a marketplace where members can buy and sell medical products and services. This includes everything from medical equipment to consulting services.

Membership

Membership in Sermo is limited to licensed physicians. This ensures that all discussions and consultations are between professionals with a high level of medical knowledge and expertise. As of 2021, Sermo has over 800,000 members worldwide.

Criticism and Controversy

Sermo has faced criticism for its business model, which relies on selling access to its member discussions to pharmaceutical and healthcare companies. Critics argue that this compromises the privacy of its members and the patients they discuss. Sermo maintains that all data is anonymized and that it adheres to all relevant privacy laws and regulations.

See Also

• Healthcare in the United States
• Social media in healthcare
• Medical ethics

References

Sermo Resources
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