The Impact Of Social Media On Healthcare

Communication has been permanently changed by social media. A wide conceptual definition of social media, as cited in Ressler & Glazer (2010), is “The online and mobile accessible services that enable individuals to connect, collaborate, and share with others in real time.” Social media has an obvious influence on informal communication style and represents both possibility and liability for healthcare institutions. As cited in Bernhardt, Alber, & Gold (2014), “Social media provide healthcare professionals with tools to share information, to debate health care policy and practice issues, to promote health behaviors, to engage with the public, and to educate and interact with patients, caregivers, students, and colleagues.” It also presents challenges, including risks to information accuracy, organizational reputation, and individual privacy. Social media can be a very helpful in communicating among nurses and other healthcare providers while creating professional connections, and sharing experiences, but guidelines for appropriate use by healthcare providers are essential. Whether or not certain healthcare organization decides to use social media as a communications tool - social media policy still need to be implemented. Policies help establish an organization 's rules and expectations around social media.

We Can But Dare We: A Look into the Use of Social Media in Healthcare

There are many public service announcements, advertisements, or paid social marketing that target the health field. Methods that are used in other industries that can be use in hospitals is the emergence of new technology. Technology that offer easier communication to health providers and their patient. It will also enable them to learn skills that are needed in their daily lives or future jobs. Social media has also taken a huge toll on hospitals and health systems. Generally, social media is used to communicate things outside of the work field. Today, it is use to communicate messages about current and new issues. Overall, the methods of media is one of the innovation that helps to improve communication in the health care field. It allows easy understanding through the healthcare providers and its

Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation’s largest healthcare providers, is using the most popular social networking sites; twitters, Facebook, LinkedIn to grow its positive media presence and create a competitive advantage over other healthcare companies. According to Vince Golla, Director of digital Media and Syndication, “Social media tools, specifically Twitter has exponentially increased our position in the world of innovation.”

Social media in hospitals can affect the patient as well as the nurse and the nursing student. Westrick states: “Nurses must find a balance between taking advantage of the benefits social media use

Social media has taken over the way that we interact with one another. It is leading the way in which we communicate with family, friends, coworkers and strangers. It is also the way we keep up with our favorite celebrities and gossip. Social media and the use of smartphones are becoming more prevalent in business and the healthcare field as well. According to Pew Research Center, “62% of smartphone owners have used their phone in the past year to look up information about a health condition” (April, 2015). Technology, just like all things come with flaws

In the present culture of the United States, social media has had a major impact in American society. It has a profound influence and intertwined itself in almost every aspect of the average American’s life. It ranges from providing updates of location of a person(s), events, and sharing personal moments. Even different industries are utilizing social media as a platform for communication, information, and sales mediums. One industry, the health care field has seen a rise in the utilization of social media. For instance, an emerging population of physicians are using social media apps such as Snap Chat, Facebook, and YouTube to educate, display surgical, and medical procedures while being performed. In contrast, as there are positive aspects of utilizing social media, a negative trait of social media is invading and exposing individual’s privacy. As of recent, a New York licensed nurse had to surrender her nursing license and sentenced to 3 years of probation for “moral unfitness in the practice (Bowerman, 2016).” She took photos with her phone of two unconscious male patient’s genitalia and shared them with coworkers. This has become an increasing issue and as the utilization of social media in healthcare is increasing, many ethical issues are developing. For instance, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was passed for the adoption of a national standard for electronic health care transactions and code sets, unique health identifiers,

Communication is essential in every aspect of life. Open and strategic communication plans are crucial for the efficient performance of health organizations. End users need health information to make informed decisions. With the advancement of technology such as access to the Internet, it is convenient for patients to access health care services and products (Publishing, 2013). Health care services are importance to the community.

* The advantages and disadvantages of using traditional, electronic, and social media for health care communication

This report is intended to be presented to senior management within the NHS. It evaluates the challenges that NHS Choices is facing with its current social media adoption or use and does so through an evaluation of two social media platforms: Facebook and Twitter. The selection of these two specific social media platforms is driven by the popularity of Facebook and Twitter with the UK population. In an Ofcom report published in 2014, 96% of online adults used Facebook as their default social networking site closely followed by Twitter (Ofcom, 2014). It is important therefore to evaluate how NHS Direct can utilise social media to effectively communicate with the UK population. This report is divided into two subsequent parts. Part II evaluates the challenges that NHS Choices currently face with regards to its current adoption. Part III builds on this analysis by advising how NHS Choices can effectively use social media to improve the services provided to patients.

Social media (digital technology) platforms are defined as any form of digital communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos). Over the last several years, the use of social media platforms such as blogs, text messaging, games, and Twitter, have had significant growth. Social media tools have become an effective way to expand reach, foster engagement and increase access to credible, evidence-based health information.

While using social media can be valuable to doctors and nurses, inappropriate use of these tools can be devastating to a health professional career. Here are some examples

Now in looking at electronic or social media we have many choices. Facebook or our company website would be two options. However any electronic or social media would have advantages and disadvantages. An advantage would be that we could reach many people very quickly. Not only do many people use social media these days, but we could use social media to incorporate some of the traditional media styles. For example, we could use Facebook to get a video out stating our side of this issue. On the downside, many feel as though social media is not as intimate. We need to remember that the receiver of the electronic communications is not able to observe other important elements of the message that often come up with face-to-face interactions: tone of voice, facial expressions, and body posture, for example (Cheesebro, O'Connor, & Rios,  2010). Nonetheless, there are studies that are showing a substantial growth in use of electronic and social media for healthcare purposes. Graphic from "Study Predicts Growing Use Of Social Media In Healthcare " (2011).

Social Media can reduce the cost of the healthcare marketing. Facebook; YouTube; and Twitter can help the Board members of the PMH to promote the new clinic and to get new patients from the contacts obtained through the social media.

Using this viewpoint, health care leaders can see the importance of using social media to stay in tuned with what patients are saying. For a health care organization to succeed they must provide quality care and quality service. If the patient population is not satisfied they are likely to vocalize their opinions to friends and families through social media. Health care leaders can create blogs or chats where consumers can express their concerns as a means to fix issues the organization may be experiencing. The information generated from social media can then be used by health care leaders to improve the organization, with the hopes of making their organization a leader in their community.