Social Media Presence in Health Care

Social Media Presence in Health Care Students’ Name: Institutional Affiliation: Introduction Social media presence in the health care sector has become an issue of concern. With the advancement in technology, physicians have to find appropriate means to reach out to the public in their geographical locations. Physicians have to responsibly make use of the available social media tools such as LinkedIn, blogs, Facebook among other social sharing sites. According to Hou & Park (2019), social media networks can be used to improve healthcare delivery, education, patient care, and personalized care. However, inappropriate use of the social media subjects the healthcare profession to risks such as damaging health care professional image, distribution of poor quality information, legal issues and breaches of patient privacy. The paper supports effective use of LinkedIn as a social media tool to improve healthcare delivery, communication, and patient education. Recommendations Interaction in social networking sites by the general public has increased in recent years. Research by Hou & Park (2019) reveals that the proportion of adult’s presence on social media sites in the United States has increased from 6% to 73% since 2004. The trend is prevalent across all people and professions in the world. In 2017 the users of social media increased by over one billion. The research reveals that healthcare professionals have to restructure their healthcare delivery mechanisms to reach to these populations on social media. Physicians should not be prevented from operating personal LinkedIn accounts. The social media offers health care professionals with a platform where they can share information, promote healthy behaviors, educate the patients, engage with the public, and debate health care policies and practices. Patients do not have to travel to the physician’s physical examination rooms for consultation (Campbell, Evans, & Pumper, 2016). Physicians should be allowed to offer healthcare guidance, education, and communication through LinkedIn. Granting health care professional freedom to participate in social media interaction improves healthcare delivery and healthcare communication. Benefits of social media presence in health care Health care professionals’ social media presence has many benefits for patients and care providers. According to Campbell, Evans, & Pumper (2016), physicians join online communities where they can research medical developments, read news articles, listen to experts, consult with colleagues on health issues and network with the public. Communication on LinkedIn cannot be ignored in the health care profession. Health institutions have to find better strategies to leverage the benefits of using LinkedIn into the healthcare profession without necessarily having to breach patient privacy. Once health care professionals are informed of the emerging trends in the healthcare sector, they also require social media networks like LinkedIn to disseminate the information to the patients and the general public. Without LinkedIn care providers will encounter challenges in communicating with the public (Hou & Park, 2019). The digital media such as LinkedIn facilitates a mechanism for caregivers to share cases and ideas, disseminate their research and engage in health advocacy. Individual social media accounts pro...