Social Media’s Role in Healthcare

The big question is what is social media’s role in the healthcare environment.

Most healthcare institutions do not allow access to social media for employees, due to security/privacy issues and concerns regarding employee productivity.

Safeguards about these privacy issues and restrictions regarding confidentiality have possibly brought about many healthcare facilities feeling that social media does not have the potential to directly impact patient care, their primary objective, and is therefore just a promotional tool.

However social media’s role in healthcare is ever increasing. More and more institutions have dedicated staff maintaining their social media marketing strategies and yet taboo it from the workplace. This is consolidated as social media has certainly gathered momentum with its reputation as biting you on the bum, however as an instrument to promote and inform, its value is priceless.

Frost & Sullivan’s survey showed that patients and other stakeholders have had access to online resources for some time – National Breast Cancer Foundation, Beyond Blue, information and support for all childhood conditions etc. and that social media is simply another available communication tool for all.

Social media’s role in healthcare can be as simple as patient support groups, communities of interest such as a Facebook page to discuss children’s different conditions eg Autism Speaks, to collaborative research using wikis, to marketing and customer feedback.

There is a huge untapped source with volumes of information and support to families, clinicians and healthcare institutions. Healthcare institutions are seeing the benefit for social media as the potential for its positive impact is just too significant to disregard. Most institutions are looking at developing guidelines for social media use and implementation as social networking in the workplace will become a common occurrence. The role of social media in healthcare will soon become an essential part of patient/client care with easy referrals to sites for information and support for all.Healthcare and social media

Enjoy Kaz :)