Use of Social Media in Health Care

Adoption of social media amongst health care organizations is thriving. Healthcare providers have begun to connect with patients via social media. While some healthcare organizations have taken the initiative, numerous others are attempting to comprehend this new medium of opportunity. These organizations are finding that social networking can be an effective way to monitor brand, connecting with patients, community, and patient education and acquiring new talent. This study is conducted to identify the purpose of using social media, concerns, policy and its implementation and the overall experience of healthcare organizations with social media. To collect first hand data, online questionnaire was sent via LinkedIn to 400 US healthcare organizations and representatives out of which 117 responded and were taken further for analsysis. The results of this study confirm the thriving adoption, increased opportunities and cautious use of social media by healthcare organizations. The potential benefits present outweigh the risk and concerns associated with it. Study concluded that social media presence will continue to grow into the future and the field of healthcare is no exception.

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Benefits, Challenges, and Social Impact of Health Care Providers’ Adoption of Social Media

Social Science Computer Review ◽

10.1177/08944393211025758 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089443932110257

Author(s):

Md Irfanuzzaman Khan ◽

Jennifer (M.I.) Loh

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Social Media ◽

Health Promotion ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Community Support ◽

Care Providers ◽

Australian Health ◽

Actual Use ◽

Use Of Social Media

With the advent of telecommunication technologies and social media, many health care professionals are using social media to communicate with their patients and to promote health. However, the literature reveals a lacuna in our understanding of health care professionals’ perception of their behavioral intentions to use innovations. Using the Unified Technology Acceptance Framework (unified theory of acceptance and use of technology), in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 Australian health care experts to uncover their intent and actual use of social media in their medical practices. Results revealed that social media tools offered five significant benefits such as (i) enhanced communication between health care professionals and their patients, (ii) community support, (iii) enabled e-learning, (iv) enhanced professional network, and (v) expedited health promotion. However, result also revealed barriers to social media usage including (i) inefficiency, (ii) privacy concerns, (iii) poor quality of information, (iv) lack of trust, and (v) blurred professional boundary. Peer influence and supporting conditions were also found to be determinants of social media adoption behaviors among health care professionals. This study has important implications for health care providers, patients, and policy makers on the responsible use of social media, health promotion, and health communication. This research is also among the very few studies that explore Australian health care professionals’ intent and actual use of innovations within a health care setting.

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Use of Social Media Among Health Care Workers

CHEST Journal ◽

10.1016/j.chest.2016.02.240 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 149 (4) ◽

pp. A231

Author(s):

Lauren Quisenberry ◽

Zoya Surani ◽

Saherish Surani ◽

Zaid Kajani ◽

Salim Surani

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Social Media ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Care Workers ◽

Use Of Social Media

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#SelfHelp : A Supplementary paper for the film #SelfHelp

10.32920/ryerson.14657886 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Emma Arsenault

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Social Media ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Knowledge Sharing ◽

Health Care System ◽

Young Women ◽

Mental Health Care System ◽

Use Of Social Media ◽

Community Workshops

The film #SelfHelp critically examines Toronto’s mental health care system, it’s flaws and the different reasons why people resort to other options. After facing ongoing challenges, three young women decided to take matters into their own hands. Through the use of social media, starting community workshops and dedication to knowledge-sharing, these women begin to not only heal themselves, but others as well.

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Use of Social Media in Health Communication: Findings From the Health Information National Trends Survey 2013, 2014, and 2017

Cancer Control ◽

10.1177/1073274819841442 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 107327481984144 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Jinhai Huo ◽

Raj Desai ◽

Young-Rock Hong ◽

Kea Turner ◽

Arch G. Mainous ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Social Media ◽

Health Communication ◽

Sample Size ◽

Health Information ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Medical Information ◽

Use Of Social Media ◽

National Trends ◽

Pooled Sample

The number of social media users has increased substantially in the past decade, creating an opportunity for health-care professionals and patients to leverage social media for health communication. This study examines the recent use and predictors of social media for health communication in a nationally representative sample of US adults over time. We used 2013, 2014, and 2017 National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey to identify respondents’ use of social media for sharing health information or exchanging medical information with a health-care professional. We conducted bivariate analysis using the Pearson χ2 test to assess the association of respondents’ basic demographic characteristics as well as health status and the use of social media for health communication. We performed multivariable logistic regression models to examine factors associated with the use of social media for health communication. We identified 4242 respondents (weighted sample size: 343 465 241 [2-year pooled sample]) who used social media for sharing health information and 4834 respondents (weighted sample size: 354 419 489 [2-year pooled sample]) who used social media for exchanging medical information. Multivariable analyses indicated the proportion of respondents who used social media for sharing health information has decreased (odds ratio [OR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49-0.85, P = .002), while the use of social media for exchanging medical information with a health-care professional has increased (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.09-3.26, P = .025). The younger population had significantly higher odds of using social media for health communication. The study found no racial/ethnic disparities in the use of social media for health communication. Use of social media for sharing health information has declined, while exchanging medical information with health-care professionals has increased. Future research is needed to determine how to engage the population in social media–based health interventions, particularly for older adults.

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Criteria to Measure Social Media Value in Health Care Settings: Narrative Literature Review

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/14684 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (12) ◽

pp. e14684 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Chukwuma Ukoha ◽

Andrew Stranieri

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Social Media ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Business Information Systems ◽

Health Care Settings ◽

Starting Point ◽

Narrative Literature ◽

Narrative Literature Review ◽

Use Of Social Media ◽

The Moment

Background With the growing use of social media in health care settings, there is a need to measure outcomes resulting from its use to ensure continuous performance improvement. Despite the need for measurement, a unified approach for measuring the value of social media used in health care remains elusive. Objective This study aimed to elucidate how the value of social media in health care settings can be ascertained and to taxonomically identify steps and techniques in social media measurement from a review of relevant literature. Methods A total of 65 relevant articles drawn from 341 articles on the subject of measuring social media in health care settings were qualitatively analyzed and synthesized. The articles were selected from the literature from diverse disciplines including business, information systems, medical informatics, and medicine. Results The review of the literature showed different levels and focus of analysis when measuring the value of social media in health care settings. It equally showed that there are various metrics for measurement, levels of measurement, approaches to measurement, and scales of measurement. Each may be relevant, depending on the use case of social media in health care. Conclusions A comprehensive yardstick is required to simplify the measurement of outcomes resulting from the use of social media in health care. At the moment, there is neither a consensus on what indicators to measure nor on how to measure them. We hope that this review is used as a starting point to create a comprehensive measurement criterion for social media used in health care.

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