Social Media and the Transformation of Healthcare: A Viewpoint (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ella Forgie ◽  
Hollis Lai ◽  
Bo Cao ◽  
Eleni Stroulia ◽  
Andrew James Greenshaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Physician Patient Relationship ◽  
Mediation Effects

UNSTRUCTURED As many as 80% of internet users seek health information online. The social determinants of health (SDoH) are intimately related to who has access to the internet and healthcare as a whole. Those who face more barriers to care are more likely to benefit from accessing health information online, granted the information they are retrieving is accurate. Virtual communities on social media platforms are particularly interesting as venues for seeking health information online because peers have been shown to influence health behaviour more than almost anything else. Thus, it is important to recognize the potential of social media to have positive mediation effects on health, so long as any negative mediation effects are reconcilable. As a positive mediator of health, social media can be used as a direct or indirect mode of communication between physicians and patients, a venue for health promotion and health information, and a community support network. False or misleading content, social contagion, confirmation bias, and security and privacy concerns must be mitigated in order to realize full potential of social media as a positive mediator of health. In any case, it is clear that the intersections between the SDoH, social media, and health are intimate, and they must be taken into consideration by physicians. Here, we argue that a paradigm shift in the physician-patient relationship is warranted, one where physicians: a) acknowledge the impacts of the SDoH on information-seeking behaviour, b) recognize the positive and negative roles of social media as a mediator of health through the lens of the SDoH, and c) use social media to catalyze positive changes in the standard of care.

scholarly journals Health Information Seeking Behaviors on Social Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among American Social Networking Site Users: Survey Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Neely ◽  
Christina Eldredge ◽  
Ron Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Health Consumers

BACKGROUND In recent years, medical journals have emphasized the increasingly critical role that social media plays in the dissemination of public health information and disease prevention guidelines. However, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter continue to pose unique challenges for clinical health care providers and public health officials alike. In order to effectively communicate during public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it is increasingly critical for health care providers and public health officials to understand how patients gather health-related information on the internet and adjudicate the merits of such information. OBJECTIVE With that goal in mind, we conducted a survey of 1003 US-based adults to better understand how health consumers have used social media to learn and stay informed about the COVID-19 pandemic, the extent to which they have relied on credible scientific information sources, and how they have gone about fact-checking pandemic-related information. METHODS A web-based survey was conducted with a sample that was purchased through an industry-leading market research provider. The results were reported with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 3. Participants included 1003 US-based adults (aged ≥18 years). Participants were selected via a stratified quota sampling approach to ensure that the sample was representative of the US population. Balanced quotas were determined (by region of the country) for gender, age, race, and ethnicity. RESULTS The results showed a heavy reliance on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic; more than three-quarters of respondents (762/1003, 76%) reported that they have relied on social media at least “a little,” and 59.2% (594/1003) of respondents indicated that they read information about COVID-19 on social media at least once per week. According to the findings, most social media users (638/1003, 63.6%) were unlikely to fact-check what they see on the internet with a health professional, despite the high levels of mistrust in the accuracy of COVID-19–related information on social media. We also found a greater likelihood of undergoing vaccination among those following more credible scientific sources on social media during the pandemic (<i>χ</i><sup>2</sup><sub>16</sub>=50.790; <i>φ</i>=0.258; <i>P</i><.001). CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that health professionals will need to be both strategic and proactive when engaging with health consumers on social media if they hope to counteract the deleterious effects of misinformation and disinformation. Effective training, institutional support, and proactive collaboration can help health professionals adapt to the evolving patterns of health information seeking.

scholarly journals Pemanfaatan media sosial untuk pencarian dan komunikasi informasi kesehatan

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 226
Author(s):  
Rosini Rosini ◽  
Siti Nurningsih
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
Female Age ◽  
Health Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Age Range

Introduction. This study aims to determine the utilization of social media based on the framework of  health information seeking behavior and information dissemination. Data collection method. The study used survey with  social media users as population by using  nonprobability sampling. Analysis data. The survey data was processed by using  SPSS program for further descriptive analysis.  Results and discussions. Our results showed that  social media users were  dominated by female (age range 45-50 years old)  with “married” as their status. Their highest level of education was D4 (Diploma) and S1 (undergraduate). They used WhatsApp (85.8%), YouTube (84.9%), Wikipedia (84%), Facebook (80.5%), Blogger (73.4%), Instagram (64.6%), Google+ (61%), and Wordpress (58.4%). The reasons for seeking health information through  media were several facilities such to share, to give comment, to create conversation, to tag topics, and to upload photos. Other reasons were “all of my friends use it”, “the display is convenient to use”, and “have notifications”. Conclusions. Our results concludes that patterns of social media use was active seeking information related to health with less sharing information to others.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Facebook and Twitter as sources of health information among African-American women

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Casey Adams Jones
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
African American ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Black Women ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
American Women ◽  
Sources Of Health Information

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore how African-American women perceive Facebook and Twitter as sources for information about heart disease. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted among 23 women between the ages of 18 and 70, who self-identified as Black and female. Participants were recruited from both urban and rural cities. Data collected during each 60-minute or less focus group session was analyzed and grouped into key themes. Results: Among the Black women who participated in the research, findings indicated that Facebook and Twitter are perceived as credible sources of health information if the material shared comes from a health care professional or organization, or a friend speaking from a personal health experience. Credibility increased if information was presented by a person of color–particularly of the same race. Knowledge gained via social media was largely deemed to be the 05 board for further research via a tool or website that is established within the health care industry. Participants also expounded upon the importance of one advocating for themselves in the doctor's office and fact checking health information and professionals. Conclusion: Health professionals may be able to more effectively communicate health information to Black women via Facebook and Twitter. Recommendations such as establishing credibility and using women of color in visuals are made that may assist in prompting health behavior changes. Key words: Women, African American, health information seeking, social media, heart disease

scholarly journals Understanding the Health Information Sharing Behavior of Social Media Users

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 180-203
Author(s):  
Ying Hong ◽  
Meng Wan ◽  
Zheng Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Mediation Effects ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Health Information Sharing ◽  
Sharing Behavior

Studies have focused on elucidating the sharing behavior of media users. However, few studies have specifically investigated users' health information sharing behavior in the social media context, especially WeChat. This study proposes a theoretical research model that integrates social capital and user gratification with the theory of planned behavior to explore health information sharing behavior of WeChat users. Based on online survey data collected from 616 WeChat users, correlation analysis and structural equation modeling were sequentially performed. It was found that both social capital and gratification factors play important roles in influencing WeChat users' health information sharing. Social interaction, acting both as social capital and gratification factor directly and indirectly generated positive effects on health information sharing intention. In conclusion, this study revealed the key determinants of health information sharing intention among WeChat users and examined the mediation effects to effectively understand users' health information sharing behavior.

scholarly journals A Study on the Women's Use of Social Media & Breast Cancer-related Health Information-Seeking Behavior: Utility of Information Channel as a Mediator

2020 ◽  
Vol V (III) ◽  
pp. 137-145
Author(s):  
Tehmina Ashfaq Qazi ◽  
Noor Hayat
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Social Stigma ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Utility Of Information ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Social media is quickly becoming the most available and easiest source for seeking health information due to the emerging popularity of social media among people where everyone is expected to be online and connected to social media. This research was carried out to examine women's online breast cancer-related information-seeking behavior. The comprehensive model of information seeking (CMIS) was tested in Pakistan in order to examine the information-seeking behavior of women. Another significant factor of social stigma was added as an independent variable into the existing model. Researchers hypothesized that the utility of information channels plays a role of mediator in the association amongst the factors, i.e. demographics, social stigma, direct experience, salience, beliefs, and characteristics in the information-seeking behavior about breast cancer. The survey questionnaire was distributed among Six hundred women from Islamabad by using the convenient sampling technique. Researchers collected the data by already developed scales. Statistical test of Multiple Linear Regression was employed by the researchers. Therefore, the study carried out significant findings.

A cross-section study to assess Health Information Seeking Behavior (HISB) in Syria (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayham Research Group ◽  
Rashad Almahayni
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Quality Score ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Section Study ◽  
Reliability Score

BACKGROUND The wide-spread use of the internet, and the numerous websites and platforms it provides access to allow users to reach a multitude of articles on almost any topic, which raises the issue of the quality and reliability of the information obtained online. Without denying the existence of reliable websites, the main question remains whether information seekers are reaching these websites. While many studies have been done to answer these questions, few were undertaken in third world countries. OBJECTIVE This study attempts to shed light on the current Health Information Seeking Behaviors (HISB) in Syria, to provide data, and to lay the ground for future studies. METHODS This is a cross-section study that used a questionnaire to identify and measure different HISB habits in Syria. A chi-square test was used to study the relations between different demographic groups and different HISB groups, and the relations between Different HISB groups. The study used the DISCERN Instrument to assess the reliability and quality of the information obtained by participants, and the means for the reliability score, the quality score, and the total DISCERN Instrument score were calculated and compared to scores of different methods of HISB with a T-score test. RESULTS The study suggests that Search Engines are the most commonly used method when actively seeking health information (52%), followed by official websites (26.6%) and unofficial websites (11.8%), with social media being the least used method (9.7%). Official websites scored the highest mean on the DISCERN Instrument score with 3.77 (±0.651), and the highest mean in reliability with 4.02 (±0.598), while social media scored the highest mean in quality with 3.53 (±1.014). Search Engines scored the lowest means in all 3 aspects, with a total DISCERN score of 3.35 (±0.715), a reliability score of 3.57 (±0.712), and a quality score of 3.11 (±0.915). CONCLUSIONS Official websites need to take more steps to provide better quality information for users. Non-medical provider users search for overview more often, therefore official websites should provide an overview of the topics at the start of their materials.

scholarly journals Social and Demographic Patterns of Health-Related Internet Use Among Adults in the United States: A Secondary Data Analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose Calixte ◽  
Argelis Rivera ◽  
Olutobi Oridota ◽  
William Beauchamp ◽  
Marlene Camacho-Rivera
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Demographic Patterns ◽  
National Trends

National surveys of U.S. adults have observed significant increases in health-related internet use (HRIU), but there are documented disparities. The study aims to identify social and demographic patterns of health-related internet use among U.S. adults. Using data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 4 cycle 3 and HINTS 5 cycle 1, we examined HRIU across healthcare, health information seeking, and participation on social media. Primary predictors were gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, income, and nativity with adjustments for smoking and survey year. We used multivariable logistic regression with survey weights to identify independent predictors of HRIU. Of the 4817 respondents, 43% had used the internet to find a doctor; 80% had looked online for health information. Only 20% had used social media for a health issue; 7% participated in an online health support group. In multivariable models, older and low SES participants were significantly less likely to use the internet to look for a provider, use the internet to look for health information for themselves or someone else, and less likely to use social media for health issues. Use of the internet for health-related purposes is vast but varies significantly by demographics and intended use.

scholarly journals The Association Between Health Information Seeking on the Internet and Physician Visits (The Seventh Tromsø Study - Part 4): Population-Based Questionnaire Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kassaye Yitbarek Yigzaw ◽  
Rolf Wynn ◽  
Luis Marco-Ruiz ◽  
Andrius Budrionis ◽  
Sunday Oluwafemi Oyeyemi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Web Search ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Physician Visits ◽  
Web Search Engines

BACKGROUND The internet is being widely used for seeking health information. However, there is no consensus on the association between health information seeking on the internet and the use of health care services. OBJECTIVE We examined the association between health information seeking via the internet and physician visits. In addition, we investigated the association between online health information seeking and the decisions to visit and not to visit a physician. METHODS We used the cross-sectional electronic health (eHealth) data of 18,197 participants from the seventh survey of the Tromsø Study (Tromsø 7). The participants were aged ≥40 years and living in Tromsø, Norway. We used logistic regression models to examine the association between online health information seeking and physician visits, the decision to visit a physician, and the decision not to visit a physician, with adjustment for the demographic status, socioeconomic status, and health status of the participants. RESULTS The use of Web search engines was associated with a physician visit. However, the association was moderated by age, and the OR decreased as age increased. The ORs for the use of Web search engines were 1.99 (95% CI 1.94-2.02) and 1.07 (95% CI 1.03-1.12) at ages 40 and 80 years, respectively. The decision to visit a physician was associated with the use of Web search engines (OR 2.95, 95% CI 2.03-4.46), video search engines (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.21-1.70), and health apps (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.13-1.42). The association between social media use and the decision to visit a physician was moderated by gender. Women who used social media had 1.42 (95% CI 1.31-1.55) times higher odds of deciding to visit a physician, whereas the decision to visit a physician was not different between men who used social media and those who did not use social media. Conversely, the decision not to visit a physician was associated with the use of Web search engines (OR 2.78, 95% CI 1.92-4.18), video search engines (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.07-1.51), social media (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.10-1.49), and health apps (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.07-1.35). CONCLUSIONS Health information found on the internet was positively associated with both the decision to visit a physician and the decision not to visit a physician. However, the association of health information seeking with the decision to visit a physician was slightly stronger than the association with the decision not to visit a physician. This could imply that the use of eHealth services is associated with a resultant increase in physician visits. In summary, our findings suggest that the internet serves as a supplement to health care services rather than as a replacement.

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