Technology has allowed other facets of interacting and communicating with others. One such way is social media, also known as social networking. Today, social media has expanded to include most industries, including healthcare which continues to change. This new way of communicating provides a relationship between health organizations and individuals or from one health provider to another. Most uses for social media, in healthcare, is to broadcast medical information or significant events. With increasing use, how safe is patient’s medical information? The aim of this paper is to point out the significant role of social media in the healthcare industry, advantages and disadvantages, what health information can be shared, unlawful sharing of data examples, and how medical facilities should address employee usage. Social media is a form of social networking. Both are services that allow individuals or organizations to do 3 things. The first is to create a profile, second is to share a connection with others alike, and third is to interact with those users (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). This tool can be used for communicating and sharing medical information to a larger audience. Subsequently, this communication has allowed increased health discussions and information between patient/provider and provider/provider. It is apparent that social media has permitted immediate access to health information, important information to the public, and improve connections. Social media provides several advantages and disadvantages in the healthcare industry. …show more content…
One advantage allows more individuals to be reached regardless of their location. Another advantage is that it reduces health costs associated with normal medical office tasks such as phone calls and correspondences (Increasing Importance of Social Media in Healthcare, 2011). In addition, individuals that interact online are also able to benefit through costs. According to KPMG’s website, patients can reap a 62 to 95 percent cost savings on regular physician and emergency room visits (Increasing Importance of Social Media in Healthcare, 2011). It also allows people to screen themselves, interact with other individuals with similar conditions, and access to provider information (Increasing Importance of Social Media in Healthcare, 2011). Additionally, social media is essential to organizations wanting to build closer relationships with patients. In contrast to the advantages, disadvantages include the possibility of breach of patient information. Protected medical information can be publicized, leading to a violation of HIPAA laws. More importantly, due to the massive amount of existing health information, there is the possibility of providing inaccurate information (Increasing Importance of Social Media in Healthcare, 2011). Despite social media being a popular way of communicating, it is very important that specific medical guidance is not given to individuals. Only general health information should be shared to avoid violating laws. They include “flu shots, tips on avoiding colds, outbreaks or health hazards, to introduce new doctors, answer questions about various health topics such as, contact doctors, hours of operation, deliver pre and post-operative care information, offer updates that relate to the practice itself, ask questions or provide appointment reminders via social media text messaging” (Ventola, 2014). Facebook is considered the leader in social networking with over a billion users. Many hospitals or providers use Facebook to connect with patients. As a result, there have been several incidents of unlawful sharing of patient information. According to the website, KPMG, a doctor was found in violation of privacy laws when he posted information about a patient on Facebook (Increasing Importance of Social Media in Healthcare, 2011). In the same way, five medical center nurses were fired for involving themselves in a discussion about patient’s medical issues on also on Facebook (Increasing Importance of Social Media in Healthcare, 2011). Another incident involved nurses employed at a nursing home who posted pictures of a resident on Facebook after he was stabbed multiple times (Social Media Privacy …show more content…
This way of communicating is being used more by the healthcare industry to connect with patients to provide valuable health information. Progressions in technology has allowed for a faster way of providing that information to others. With increased use, protection is needed to protect the privacy and security of the patient and prevent medical information from being released illegally. Social media, as with any other web-based service used to communicate, raises many concerns and questions about how private and secure health information really is. Employing the key policies and procedures, will contribute significantly in reducing these