Social Media and Healthcare: lj 7
Social Media and Healthcare
Over the years, social media has evolved itself from a simple socializing platform to a powerful interactive multimedia that is present across many different enterprises. These platforms influence our society, changing the ways individual connect with each other and improve productivity, efficiency, and communication for industries, most notably healthcare. Through social networking sites, blogs, and forums, it has become much easier for patients to get access to health-related information and seek the care they need (Austin, 2019). But the rapid development of social media in healthcare does not come without caveats. There have been many concerns regarding patients’ privacy and the sharing of inaccurate health reports, along with other issues in recent years. Experts believe that the spread of false, non-scientifically proven health resources on these popular social platforms may put vulnerable individuals in danger and create significant impact on public well being.
According to an article published by Patient Empowerment Network, social media is one of the most popular channels used by healthcare providers. Its benefits can be seen across multiple health sectors, such as health education, patient care, and healthcare promotion. As convenient and handy these platforms are, providers are advised to refrain from sharing unnecessary information, and to always monitor social media usage, not just their own, but also their employees and coworkers within the same department. All healthcare personnel are expected to always adhere to HIPPA compliance and to take cautions while performing any social campaign that involves sensitive patient information, which can include advertisement, communications, and blogging. That being said, it is not easy to manage all the flow of information within social media. Accidents and mishaps do happen, one wrong click can bring the possibility of damaging the reputation of providers, patients, and the healthcare institution as a whole (Austin, 2019).
It is recommended to approach social media with careful consideration. If used wisely, these platforms can act as a powerful tool that helps provide guidance on healthcare to the public and enhance development for the industry. On the other hand, using these tools recklessly without adhering to HIPPA Compliance can result in unrecoverable damage not only to the patients, but also the providers. As a regular individual who browse social media occasionally, I am also responsible for my own safety when accessing health-related information posted on the internet. The best rule to follow is to always avoid articles from unverified, non-scientifically proven sources. Instead, seek information from trusted websites, such as PubMed or CDC, and to always check the information to make sure they are from a scholarly review, faithful report.
References:
Ventola, C. L. (2014, July). Social Media and health care professionals: Benefits, risks, and best practices. P & T : a peer-reviewed journal for formulary management. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103576/
Austin, M. (2019, December 18). Health Care and social media: Importance of facing their challenges. Patient Empowerment Network. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from https://powerfulpatients.org/2019/12/18/health-care-and-social-media-importance-of-facing-their-challenges/
Hey Phuc! Looks like we both worked on the same topic. I also mentioned the dangers of using social media for medical support and the convenience of the internet when looking to research for health care. While it can be very convenient and extremely accessible, there could come the risk of discovering false information which results in danger. Taking careful considerations and having doubt when researching up on medical problems should always be enacted.
ReplyDeleteHello Phuc, I enjoyed reading your post about social media and healthcare. It's so true that social media, while being so accessible, can seem like a great idea to seek information on health care. But, with all of the different information it can easily lead you to discovering false information. This could lead to many bad things, and if seeking medical treatment, people should definitely see a doctor instead of searching the web.
ReplyDeleteHello Phuc, I was really interested in your post. I believe that with any public source of information you run the risk of someone giving false information. You should definitely always check your sources and how the information was being looked at. Sometimes the information online will lead us to the doctors office but it should not replace it.
ReplyDeleteHey Phuc, reading your post was very interesting to see your point of view on how social media is so beneficial when it comes to health care, but even while it helps spread information about the work, how much of that information is actually accurate and is not stretched to sound more convincing then it should be. we just have to take careful consideration when it comes to viewing the information and not actually knowing how real it is.
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