Review of Doximity: A Platform for Medical Professionals

Doximity is the largest free-of-charge medical professional website out there and over 60% of physicians have an account.  Through this application, a physician has the ability to network with colleagues, consult with physicians about difficult patients, review journal articles from some of the top journals in medicine, and receive updates about potential new career opportunities.

The Features 

After downloading this app, I was instantly impressed at the ease and number of  features I could utilize. Once I downloaded the app from the App Store, I was directed to a “Create Your Account” page.  I inputted all relevant background information and I was able to create an account and start using the application instantaneously. The first great feature I stumbled into was how the application can generate a list of doctors that you may know based on your medical education or previous positions you held so you can build a network as soon as you log-in.  This is a really nice feature to keep in touch with your classmates or co-workers.  

Once your network is built, you are directed to a main discussion board and can navigate through a number of intriguing features that the application offers.  

Most of the peer-reviewed articles are from journals like JAMA and The Lancet but there is a variety of medical articles that can even be from newspapers like The Washington Post or The New York Times.  Physicians have the ability to read through the articles and can either endorse the article with a “Like” or can even “Comment” and present personal testimony or an alternative perspective much like Facebook.   

Besides the multitude of articles to review, Doximity provides a few other nice features that make the application desirable.  A user has the ability to find profiles of doctors in the neighborhood and network outside of the traditional medical meetings at the local steakhouse.  As regulations are changed to reduce the number of pharmaceutical meetings allowable on a monthly basis, physicians may only meet by chance encounters in the hospital cafeteria.  This application is a way to meet other local physicians virtually and can even direct a doctor to a website of their colleague. Physicians can quickly review their profiles and reviews and see what physician would be the best and closest option for a patient under the referring physician’s care.  

Another great idea thought of by Doximity was to provide a physician’s fax number or email address to allow physicians to consult on patients.   

Once you are verified, you can also correspond with colleagues and send files and results to a colleague’s fax number to maximize their patient management.  

The last feature that I thought was quite impressive was the newsletters that you receive from Doximity once you create an account.  

This is a very convenient feature if you find yourself drowning in patient notes and do not have a chance to review the article on a daily basis.  In my first newsletter, I was directed to a number of physicians in my neighborhood who I have never met before, articles specific for Cardiology, and a comparison of cardiologist salaries in my area.  Salaries, alone, are something that most people are uncomfortable with discussing no matter what profession so having a website that provides a reference point is great if you are planning to move to an unfamiliar territory to practice.