Author: Editor

Marie Ennis-O’Connor‘s insight:

In September of 2012 a number of patient advocates, providers, activists and vender partners gathered in Kansas City for The Partnership With Patients Summit to speak about patient centered care, patient rights and the healthcare landscape. One of the direct requests of that meeting was to create a survey to get a pulse on the deep concerns of patients throughout the nation. 

Marie Ennis-O’Connor‘s insight:

This type of social media tool doesn’t replace physicians, nurses and other clinicians.  Instead it facilitates:

women having the opportunity to hear the information multiple times in order to aid with comprehensionculturally relevant, familiar and viable delivery of a health risk assessment and interventionsthe time of interaction and pace driven by participantevidence-based, closed-loop communicationswomen preparing for appointments with their providerreinforcement of  information discussed during a clinical encounterwomen preparing themselves for a pregnancy and knowing what actions they need to take to improve their health and reduce risks to their child

Marie Ennis-O’Connor‘s insight:

Great overview of who is leading the way in this sphere. I am very interested to see the growing impact of social media on healthcare organizations, clinicians, and patients. There is great potential for educating and informing patients – HCPs need to be the ones to guide this process for their patients and not leave them drowning in a sea of misleading, or worse, information online.

Marie Ennis-O’Connor‘s insight:

In my opinion doctors have a vital role to play in guiding their patients to trusted sources of health information and then helping to confirm or redirect the results of their online learning.

Marie Ennis-O’Connor‘s insight:

While there has been a lot of attention paid to physicians and social media, we’ve seen a lot less about the benefits for patients.  The following are 3 reasons why we think more physicians should encourage their patients to use social media:

 

1. Their healthcare providers, clinics and hospitals are online and ready to interact with them. Whether via Twitter or Facebook, more healthcare providers and health organizations are embracing social media. Patients can now follow their physicians to learn more about their clinical work and research interests. For example, Dr. Ryan Madanick is a Gastroenterologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, interested in refractory gastrointestinal diseases and medical education. The content posted by Dr. Madanick on his Twitter account is highly relevant to patients and a great source of information. Many health clinics (e.g. the Toronto Malvern Community Health Center, TAIBU) can also be found online, micro-blogging useful patient information like wait times, specialty clinics (e.g. flu shots) and announcements regarding services. Several hospitals, like the Massachusetts General Hospital, use social media for similar purposes. Finally, various allied health professionals, like Harrison Reed, an Ohio-based Physician Assistant, are readily present in theblogosphere as well.

2. Equip patients with knowledge: the latest studies, news and developments in health. Patients who customize their social media experience with the right mix of ‘channels’ of information can reap the rewards of news and perspectives on the latest studies, developments and controversies in health. Patient-friendly health information sites (e.g. Kids Health), health advocacy organizations (e.g. the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), and health journalists (e.g. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta), are just a few of the groups who effectively use social media to spread their message. Social media has given patients the most power they have ever had, to better understand how to optimize their health.

3. Patients sharing their stories in virtual support groups.  Social media has provided an online environment for patients to discuss their health. Possibly the area of greatest potential, more patients are using it to share their stories including their rises and pitfalls, side-effects of therapies and the social and psychological aspects of their illnesses, to name a few. Online chat streams for patients with breast cancer and rheumatoid arthritis are examples of a growing list that are becoming more popular.

With patients becoming increasingly social media-savvy, it is safe to say that this phenomenon is here to stay. As a public policy initiative, the use of smart social media may in fact be a useful intervention to encourage patients to pursue healthy lifestyles while relieving pressures on health budgets. For this to happen, more research and analysis is required to better connect patients with their healthcare providers and to provide them with evidence-based, accurate information. As with any information on the web, not all ‘channels’ of information are reliable sources for patients (we’re looking at you, Dr. Oz). This is why physicians require training to help their patients navigate the realm of social media, keeping confidentiality and safety in mind. Guidelines must be established to protect patients who participate in online support groups, as many are already.

So the next time you offer counseling or education to a patient in an emergency department, medical ward or clinic, think about the impact that a patient-centered social media strategy could have. After all, increased patient knowledge leads to improved care and eventually, power.

Marie Ennis-O’Connor‘s insight:

The discussion about social media policy in the clinic goes beyond simply being template to be borrowed from another organization because it must represent the culture and be consistently enforced. The vision and mission of the clinic that includes the context of social media and its appropriate use by employees includes expectations about how everyone represents the organization. Considerations such as how employees may represent the clinic during or outside of business hours or perhaps not at all on social networking sites may lead to the question of how to enforce a policy outside of the workplace. There is value in tailoring the policy to be more specific rather than just requiring discussions to be “appropriate” or “respectful” while at the same time allowing some discretion. Engaging people in the social clinic is an ongoing dialogue in which digital conversations may take on lives of their own.

Marie Ennis-O’Connor‘s insight:

Abstract

The purpose of this review paper is to explore the impacts of social media on healthcare organizations, clinicians, and patients. This study found that healthcare organizations, clinicians and patients can benefit from the use of social media. For healthcare organizations, social media can be used primarily for community engagement activities such as fundraising, customer service and support, the provision of news and information, patient education, and advertising new services. The study also found that the most widely used social media venues for physicians were online communities where physicians can read news articles, listen to experts, research new medical developments, network, and communicate with colleagues regarding patient issues. Patients can benefit from the use of social media through education, obtaining information, networking, performing research, receiving support, goal setting, and tracking personal progress. Future research should further examine other financial, technological, informational, ethical, legal, and privacy issues surrounding the use of social media in healthcare.