Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Social Media
in Healthcare
A major
trend in healthcare today is the use of social media. Social Media is defined as computer-mediated
tools that allow people to create, share or exchange information, ideas, and
pictures/videos in virtual communities and networks. Some of the most common social media sites
are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Some
successful cases of using social media in healthcare include patient and
physician blogs, physicians’ use of Twitter for education; patients sharing
outcomes and supporting each other in health-specific communities; physicians
discussing treatments with each other using communities and enterprise social
media; and hospitals both educating the community and acquiring new patients
online.
Some people
discourage the use of social media stating it’s invasive and isn’t the same as
the talking with your Physician in person.
Others feel it allows them to interact with Physicians/ healthcare
professionals that they generally wouldn’t have access to.
In 2013 the
Harris Poll EquiTrend Survey named the Mayo Clinic Website the top Health
Information Website, ahead of WebMD.
Social Media has helped credible sources get important healthcare
concerns out to many patients and is much cheaper from a business budgetary
standpoint.
In
conclusion, social media is a trend we will continue to see. Healthcare professionals can utilize these
platforms to educate patients, market their practices and interact with fellow
peers. The possibilities are endless and
will most likely become an integral part of how health information is
dispersed.
http://hitconsultant.net/2014/02/17/5-reasons-mayo-clinic-dominates-social-media-in-healthcare/2/
Niki
Vogelsang, MBA, RHIA
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