Social Media And Health Care Essay

The researchers believe that social media should be embraced in healthcare to improve communication as it will continue to grow and become more relevant to consumers. There are only a few regulations in place so there needs to be a balance from healthcare professionals if they decide to get involved. Questions to be asked, what are some appropriate uses for some of these channels? Does the type of content matter? Are some social media channels better than others?

Unvalidated sources of health information (abbreviated as USHI for the purpose of this paper) like social network sites (SNS), blogs, forums and the likes proliferate the internet. Patients, relatives of patients, or friends of patients utilize these platforms for a plethora of reasons ranging from guidance on major and minor health decisions to the desire for support from other users. Support, as used here, could be emotional, social or financial and is usually gained by patients through the sharing of their personal medical issues, asking questions or sharing of their experiences with other users [12]. The use of the Internet and USHI for guidance on health decisions is increasing [1, 13]. Existing literature identifies patient's trust in

In this era of abundant and accessible health information especially through health portals and websites, Unvalidated Sources of Health Information (USHI) like health information presented through social network sites (SNS), blogs, forums, private websites and the likes, also pervade the web. Many times, the information on these platforms are incomplete, incorrect, outdated or plainly misleading and can be perilous to their consumers [1]. Patients, relatives of patients, or friends of patients utilize these platforms for a plethora of reasons ranging from guidance on major and minor health decisions to the desire for support from other users [30]. Support, as used here, could be emotional, social or financial and is usually gained by patients

The healthcare industry is slowly embracing and recognizing the importance and power of social media. Millions of people of all ages go online each day, to seek information, do online research, share photos, write blogs, watch videos, play online games, and so much more. Many healthcare businesses have already, or are starting, to create an online presence to capture the millions of people that go online every day.

Social media use in health care continue to rise as more and more platforms become available for use. The challenge is mainly the individual’s failure to evaluate the content and the effect the message being sent be it graphic, verbal, short message system (sms) has on the patient’s privacy. In most cases the offence is not intentional and most people only get to know about the violation of patient privacy when complaint is launched and this does not exempt the staff from facing the legal and institutional implication pertaining the violation at hand (Spector, N., Kappel, D., 2012)

Social media has grown significantly in the last decade, and has had huge impact on the nursing profession. We nurses rely on it, we are constantly using it to look up information, or using it to communicate with one another. Big risk associated with the use of social media is when a nurse, or student nurses, post unprofessional content, this can damage a professional image (Ventola, C, 2014). Someone’s perception may come from social media, such as the content they put on a social media site, such as photos or posts (Ventola, C, 2014). Certain behaviors could be misinterpreted, as unprofessional and violate patient privacy. Patients can also get poor quality information about their disease process, when using social media due to the fact that the information can be unreferenced, or incomplete (Ventola, C, 2014). These are some down falls of the use social media but there is

Websites such as Web M.D. and others allow patients to gain access to information about their health faster than ever before. In his essay on healthcare and social media, author Gary Lawson (2014) asserted that websites like these “translate their articles into layman’s terms to be fully understood by the general public” (4). This demonstrates not only the use of social media by individuals, but also the need to understand information so that people can make decisions regarding whether or not they should see a professional about their symptoms. In addition to using social media to find information about their health, people are also using social media to find information about their providers as well.

The improvement in the creation of technological devices are slowly increasing. The uses of devices have not only influenced social media but also the idea of storing our own health information in our individual devices. As patients are using their cellphones to keep track all of their health records, appointments and other related things, providers are also taking advantage with the electronic aspect to educate individuals and help improve the delivery of health care (Petersen, 2014, p. 18). Additionally, there are other social media tactics that both health-related individuals and patients use, such as Twitter, Facebook, and personal blogs to share

The use of social media is strongly prevalent in today’s society and has become part of daily communication and living. Madden and Zickhur approximates that in 2011, 65% of adults participated on social networking websites; demonstrating the potential for discussing information, maintaining connections and evaluating care (Social Media and professional nursing, friend or foe; Social media and nursing practice).

Social media has been taking over and on the rise for the past few years now. Everyone these days has some kind of social communication that’s online and the number of users are escalating on a daily basis. Social media has become such a popular yet dangerous way of communicating through technology. Some people can be naïve to the fact that everyone can see what they post regardless of their privacy settings. People need to keep that in mind especially when working in an industry where everything has to be kept confidential. From the article “Guidelines for Using Electronic and Social Media: The Regulatory Perspective”, it read “Social media is not merely a driving force in everyday life, but one that fits seamlessly into how communication is transmitted” (Spector, N., Kappel, D., 2012). Some people get too involved with the internet and social media and end up abusing its power. When it comes to the health care field like nursing, everything nurses work around should be kept private and confidential to keep their patients information safe. If you’re proud of your patient, tell them. There’s no need to post every thought that comes to mind on social media. Nurses must keep a professional boundary and know not to mix business with pleasure because it can end up getting them in trouble. Their work life and personal life should be kept separate from each other and should be on a “need to

“Social media have invaded health care from at least three fronts: innovative startups, patient communities and medical centers” (John Sharp 2010). The Social Media arena helps the health care system for their planning strategy and their marketing. However, their use is very controversial. There is a discussion about the use of social media in the healthcare settings due to its vulnerability. Even though social media is important for the healthcare development, the security issues will remain big concerns for the healthcare system.

Social media is a common vector for searching, sharing, and receiving all types of information. Due to hand held accessibility, many opt to search for health care topics via applications on the Internet or cell phone. As 85% of Americans are using the Internet in some way, a large amount

Thus, health communicators are questioning more and more often the effectiveness of social media approaches. Data show an increase among adults using social media as tool for gathering health-related information in the last several years. Deloitte’s 2010 Survey of Health Care Consumers confirms the trend that more than half of consumers looked online for health information, including 53% of seniors, 57%

Physicians pride themselves in being lifelong learners; therefore, it has been imperative for them to adopt the novel technologies and use them for more effective patient care. Additionally, in this “digital age” patients and healthcare providers are readily able to gather and share healthcare information using social media (Chretien et al, 2013). They are likewise capable to obtain support through discussion groups and forums, and chronicle their illness journeys. Collectively, these changes have led to the establishment of the social healthcare, where in which social media and mobile technologies are widely applied in the health care area. This change is driven by the need for better patient care and information sharing among healthcare providers and patients.

Modern information technology has developed a way for people to receive support from others. Online social support is expanding as the general public begins to feel comfortable using online social groups to seek support from others. Online social groups have extensive benefits for users who are not able to or do not desire to attend face-to-face communication support. These groups have emerged within health care as a result of individuals’ needs. These individuals need to know more about their health conditions have driven many health groups to develop. Plenty of these online support groups are in the form of blogs, such as mom blogs, bodybuilder blogs, health blogs, and healthy eating blogs. Furthermore, there are also certain online support areas known as social media that allow people to share personal experiences or share current events in their life. Common examples of this include: Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat.