REPOST: How social media, mobile are playing a bigger part in healthcare

Kate Freeman of Mashable.com discusses the growing role that social media connectivity plays in changing the face of health care.  

Google search has become part of our medical check-up these days. If you browse WebMD, Google or various online forums for answers before a doctor visit, you're not alone.

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It's tempting to see if we can find an answer to our health questions in an instant when a world of information is at our fingertips, rather than leaving work or home. Flawed and inaccurate as some of that information may be, there are also many useful sites and forums with advice from actual doctors.

 A study compiled by Demi & Cooper Advertising and DC Interactive Group shows that more than 90% of people ages 18-24 said they would trust health information they found on social media channels. One in two adults use their smartphone to look-up health information.

Patients are also taking to the Interwebs to talk about the care they received: 44% of people said they would share positive or negative experiences of a hospital or medical facility, and 42% said they wouldn't hesitate to post comments about a doctor, nurse or healthcare provider on social media.

More than a quarter of hospitals have a social media presence. And 60% of doctors say social media improves the quality of care.

There's no doubt hospitals and doctors benefit from social media — at least when patients leave them good reviews and talk about their positive experiences.

But since doctors are required to keep healthcare information private, in accordance with HIPAA laws, it's essential that they are aware of boundaries while using social media, says Ryan Greysen, assistant clinical professor in the department of medicine at University of California, San Francisco.

Greysen tells Mashable doctors should be careful with what information they give to patients on social networks. The security of such sites is important to consider since medical advice and information should be completely private.

"The great thing with social media is it can be shared, but that's the downside [for health information]," he says. "Healthcare is very new in this area."
Greysen says he suspects it will only be a couple years until more secure technologies for doctor and patient sharing will be available.

Doctors commenting on public forums offering medical advice can present liability issues, too. However, "secured patient portals are a great way to leverage mobile technology to promote healthy behavior." Healthcare providers often offer these through their websites.

Sometimes consulting a forum for a already diagnosed condition can be reliable, especially if a doctor is involved in monitoring it. But there are no studies that show patients with access to medical forums have better care than those who don't, says Greysen.

Plus, the web may not always be the best place to go for a diagnosis.

"A lot of medical conditions require much more detail and dialogue between the patient and physician," he said. "In many cases it [a website] doesn't substitute for an in-person visit."

"We haven't turned the corner to where we can say social media have changed people's outcomes, but there are some really interesting projects out there that are changing that," he says. "I think we're within a couple years of having secure sites and capturing more details about patient circumstance."

Terry Lambert, formerly of Newman Regional Hospital in Emporia, is adept at hospital administration. Follow this Twitter account for more updates on healthcare management.