Role of Social Media Platforms in Healthcare Interventions - Term Paper Example

ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS IN HEALTHCARE INTERVENTIONS Prepared by (Student’s Name) Professor’s Name Course Date University Executive Summary This report focuses on ascertaining the presumption that social media has positively impacted healthcare interventions. The report has noted that healthcare systems have benefitted a lot from social media since they practitioners have been able to use it for clinical investigation purposes. It has been used as a platform where easier administration of patient care has been achieved despite geographical restrictions between physicians and patients. It has also been used as a tool where physicians have resorted to seeking professional advice in regards to alternative treatment from peers. It has further been ascertained that social media platforms act as a tool that promotes aspects related to education and for purposes of availing immediate social support in regards to smoking cessation and abstinence; and, also an education and promotion tool for cessation of unhealthy lifestyles like smoking. On the contrary, however; the paper emphasises that social media should be used as a complementary tool as opposed to being a replacement of conventional relationships. Introduction Recent trends in healthcare sector have shown that social media, web and mobile application technologies have continued to be used in healthcare-related concerns while ensuring to propel the aspect of patient-related centred care (Kamel Boulos & Wheeler, 2007). There have been extensive advancements made in the recent past to ascertain the manner for which such social sites as Facebook can be used as patients’ self-management tools that aid in their recovery process. The focus of this paper is on examining the role social media sites like Facebook; Twitter and Instagram play in healthcare related interventions as self-management and close monitoring tools in the current healthcare environments. In essence, given the existing improvements and ways of accessing information in regards to diseases and treatments through distinctive internet technologies; the modern patient have become even more informed and thus, taken the initiative of wanting to be engaged directly in their day-to-day care (Denecke, et al. n, d). The use of social media platforms in the current age has ensured that organisations achieve high level of productivity levels considering the fact that a large number of people are reached at any given moment in time. In fact, research indicates that a good number of patients with long-term conditions are now able to put personal health information in the public platforms as way of sharing their experiences with others. This report argues that introduction of social media platforms in healthcare related interventions is indeed a positive move that helps to connect practitioners and patients in the course of their recovery process. The paper addresses such points as social media being a platform where both private and public healthcare setting can administer all inclusive patient-centred care; it being employed to collect informational data for investigation purposes; being employed in health-related promotional campaigns; and, also act as a tool that promotes aspects related to education and for purposes of availing immediate social support in regards to smoking cessation and abstinence. Social Media Platforms & Patient-Centred Care According to Denecke et al (n.d, p.2) the aspect of social media as well as its overall capacity in both private and public healthcare settings has fostered intensive and an all-inclusive patient-centred care framework. In essence, research indicates that the current peer-to-peer healthcare model; a large number of patients suffering from chronic illnesses are now resorting to social media platforms in order to communicate with others while at the same time share similar experiences and crucial information amongst each other (Merolli, Gray, & Martin-Sanchez, 2013). In sharing this personal health information, patients are able to get information related to treatments to specific symptoms and from designated practitioners and as a result benefit from being actively engaged in their personal care coordination. Chretien and Kind (2013, p.1413) agrees that peer-to-peer falls under emerging trends of sources of patient information and support platforms. In a survey conducted in 2011, it was found out that 23% of Adult population in the United States of America formed internet user base with chronic medical conditions has at least visited online platforms to search for other people facing similar situations in comparison to only 15% that suffered from mild conditions (Denecke, et al. n.d). Notably, continual analysis of contributions and discussion forums conducted on 10 well-known diabetes management focus groups in Facebook ascertained that patients; family members and close friends were directly and actively sharing substantial amounts of personal health information; received distinct emotional support while also requesting for assistance for diabetes management from other group members within the platform. Patients suffering from mild conditions can also use such platforms to seek for encouragement and direct and tailored advice from medical practitioners from those platforms. In some cases, these patients use these social media platforms to conduct a fundraiser for their individual healthcare related expenses (Chretien & Kind, 2013). In other social medial platforms, active online communities are developed around data-sharing platforms in a way that allows for patients to share quantitative informational data regarding individual medical conditions and thereby are enlightened from the database reports especially when trying to make improvements on their underlying situations. The self-reported patient data mechanism has indeed resulted to extensive research stipulations. Of particular interest to note, social media is further being employed to collect informational data for investigation purposes (“Online Social Media: New Data, New Horizons in Psychosis Treatment”, 2015). Notably, in the recent past, there has been extensive recruitment of patients for clinical trials using such social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and other distinctive epidemiological studies. The use of social networking feature in relation to current technological advancements has fostered physicians to crowd-sourcing for solutions to clinical issues affecting patients amongst themselves. The use of social networking sites to crowd source for answers relating to clinical solutions is indeed a major benefactor of the social media platform (Valente, 2012). For instance, on such platform as Sermo, which is a physician-only networking community platform, personal credentials are verified prior to being accepted as a member and the practitioners in all of the US states meet virtually to come up with reasonable discussions pertaining treatment options; and, also seek professional advice at any given moment in time (Chretien & Kind, 2013). Markedly, the use of Twitter, researchers have been able to collect important information regarding earlier detection and monitoring of disease outbreaks such as cholera. Taking a closer look at these recent developments, it can be easily ascertained that the internet technologies and most specifically; social media can now be linked to distinct healthcare interventions. The WHO Global eHealth Evaluation Meeting’s Call to Action agrees that in order to post significant improvements in health and thereby eliminate or even decrease the level of health inequalities; it is suggested that a robust analysis and adoption of eHealth framework be made a priority. eHealth is able to produce significant level of evidence and, also trigger necessary incorporation and the immediate adoption of technologies. In this regards, eHealth is entirely promoted on the basis of evidence-based interventions. In consequence, significant efforts have been made to ensure that there is smooth integration of social-media tools within the overall healthcare systems and especially so; when incorporating clinical environments as a distinctive source of health information (Valente, 2012). As a result of this setting, there have been diversified chances for accessing health-related informational data and development of newer research issues. As people are now becoming even more aware and attentive to their personal healthcare matters and considering their patient-based experiences; the notion of developing an all-inclusive health records while still incorporating information gathered from social media data centres helps make it easily accessible to practitioners across the globe thereby improving on treatment and recovery process. The degree for which social medial offers a public database for patient-based information in order to assist with clinical healthcare is imperative. It is noted that at least 14% of medical trainees visit popular website to look for information related to certain patients in order to ensure correct diagnosis (Chretien & Kind, 2013). In some cases, it is ascertained that medical practitioners would go beyond searches and make intentional decisions to connect with patients on Facebook and other popular sites in order to engage them directly and appear to more approachable to them. In this regards, by way of passing through restrictions brought about by geographical boundaries, the adoption of social media has fostered immediate expansion of clinical care to populations in distant lands. Telemedicine is a popular technology that adopts technology to practice medicine has been around for a number of centuries but has recently gained intensive momentum as a result of new technological advancements. Notwithstanding, research indicates that the design process of the newer online and mobile-based interventions is indeed fundamental in the process of ensuring a higher level of quality healthcare related improvements that are deemed to be relevant; engaging and effective as well (Valente, 2012). This ascertains that the formulation of a fairly- determined process of integrating social media to healthcare system intervention should be user-centred (“Online Social Media: New Data, New Horizons in Psychosis Treatment”, 2015). In fact, according to research, it has been noted that the application of online social networking can be effectively used to eliminate possibilities of social isolation and disadvantage amongst patients undergoing psychosis treatment while still taking care of inefficient symptomatic and functional results; improve distinct engagement with online incorporations, which is a fundamental level of challenge within the field. It can be successfully argued that the incorporation of online social media as well as evidence-based practice results to an effective therapeutic framework for which the patients can enjoy positive self-disclosure; assume interpersonal risks and gain attributes related to motivation and validation; skills deemed necessary for learning on how to solve similar issues in the future period. Moorhead (2013, p.e85) notes that social media facilitates the translation of information into distinctive models other than text that can result to easier accessibility of health information to patients with special needs. A perfect example is seen when videos are streamed and adopted to supplement or even replace text modes especially in cases where the literacy levels of the underlying audience is deemed to be significantly lower. It is made distinctively clear that a wide range of social media platforms can foster an effective dialogue amongst patients with similar conditions or even between patients and health practitioners (Moorhead, 2013). In social media sites like PatientsLikeMe, patients across the globe are given an opportunity to directly engage in a rapport with each other and goes beyond that to sharing of personal health-related information that has the benefit of getting advice pertaining to specific treatment and medication process as a whole. Until recently, YouTube has been a popular platform where patients have taken to share health information on such matters as medications; symptoms and diagnoses. Consequently, blogs have ensured to come up with available platform where people can easily access tailored resource mechanism and thereafter provide health professionals with a chance to share information with patients and the overall members of the public (Moorhead, 2013). Platforms like Facebook are now being employed as spaces where health-related matters as patient care, careers and health professionalism is shared. The figure below shows how social media has facilitated connection amongst different concerned parties in healthcare related systems. Figure-1: Key social media interactions among patients, physicians, and the public. Solid line circles denote secure interactions. Dotted line circles denote personal networking interactions (Chretien, K.C. & Kind, T., 2013). Notwithstanding, research studies indicate that social media have continued to be employed in health-related promotional campaigns; education and for purposes of availing immediate social support in regards to smoking cessation and abstinence. Hamm et al (2013) notes that the adoption of social media in healthcare related interventions rest with its adaptability. Such distinctive media applications like TuDiabetes have been formulated and implemented for the purpose of addressing particular concerns of online communities thereby actualising the level of success that can be realised through developing specific media tools that are channelled towards meeting the needs of unique patients. In retrospect, such a general tool like Twitter has indeed ensured to provide a mechanism for the application of a variety of different focuses as well as particular areas within the dissemination of public health concerns (Hamm et al, 2013). It is a further ascertained that the adoption of social media fairly assists in measuring and determining health-related behaviours and patient statuses. In fact, with such applications as PatientsLikeMe that are focused on health end results; social media platforms could result to a cost-effective and far-reaching modality for the administration of specific forms of health interventions (Hamm et al, 2013). This could be beneficial especially when underlying logistics cannot easily allow for in-person appointments due to extensive populations or even geographical representation of an area. Social Implications of Social Media in Health Care Intervention Given that there has been an increase in the amount of time people spend while interacting on different online platforms; there is an immediate issue arising out of this notion. It is argued this activity of spending more time online is likely to decrease the level of face-to-face interactions between medical practitioners and patients, which might lead to a reduced capacity to relate with other people and; a resultant decline in empathy (Chretien & Kind, 2013). In fact, research indicates that virtual relationships that are developed on online platforms indeed lack crucial nonverbal attributes while it is prone to miscommunication. In the clinical field, practitioners understand that nonverbal attributes as opposed to verbal intricacies are fairly positioned to show meaning whenever engaging in communication and more so; in terms of portraying feelings and patient-based attitude (Chretien & Kind, 2013). As a result of this, it is important to always formulate and sustain authentic level of communication especially since social media is deemed to becoming even more useful in matters related to clinical practice as a whole. This means that the adoption of social media should be perceived as being a fundamental complementary tool to foster in-person healthcare and not as a communication replacement platform. Conclusion The paper has successfully argued that social media can be positively adopted in healthcare related interventions. It has been noted that social media allows for easier investigation process especially in clinical practice. Peer-to-peer health forums have ensured that medical practitioners seek advice and alternative answers to specific treatment. I has also been noted that social media is indeed a platform where both private and public healthcare setting can administer all inclusive patient-centred care; it can be employed to collect informational data for investigation purposes; being employed in health-related promotional campaigns; and, also act as a tool that promotes aspects related to education and for purposes of availing immediate social support in regards to smoking cessation and abstinence. On the contrary, however; the paper emphasises that social media should be used as a complementary tool as opposed to being a replacement of conventional relationships. References List Chretien, K.C. & Kind, T., 2013. Social media and clinical care ethical, professional, and social implications. Circulation, 127(13), pp.1413-1421. Denecke, K. et al. n, d. Ethical issues of social media usage in healthcare, pp.1-16 Hamm, M.P., Chisholm, A., Shulhan, J., Milne, A., Scott, S.D., Given, L.M. and Hartling, L., 2013. Social media use among patients and caregivers: a scoping review. BMJ open, 3(5), p.e002819. Kamel Boulos, M.N. & Wheeler, S., 2007. The emerging Web 2.0 social software: an enabling suite of sociable technologies in health and health care education1. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 24(1), pp.2-23. Merolli, M., Gray, K. & Martin-Sanchez, F., 2013. Health outcomes and related effects of using social media in chronic disease management: A literature review and analysis of affordances. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 46(6), pp.957-969. Moorhead, S.A., Hazlett, D.E., Harrison, L., Carroll, J.K., Irwin, A. & Hoving, C., 2013. A new dimension of health care: systematic review of the uses, benefits, and limitations of social media for health communication. Journal of medical Internet research, 15(4), p.e85. “Online Social Media: New Data, New Horizons in Psychosis Treatment” 2015. Schizophrenia Research, vol.166, p.345-346 Valente, T.W., 2012. Network interventions. Science, 337(6090), pp.49-53. Appendix Read More