Table of Content

• Importance of Social Media in Healthcare

• Benefits of Social Media in Healthcare

• Understanding Both the Benefits and Risks of Social Media in Healthcare

• Take-Home Points

• FAQ on Benefits of Social Media in Healthcare

Introduction

There is almost no one in this world who isn't holding at least one social media account. Living in a digital world made it almost impossible to survive without connecting with people in social circles. The importance of social media has also penetrated the healthcare system, offering several benefits. In this article, you would see the benefits and challenges when it comes to the role of social media in healthcare. 

Importance of Social Media in Healthcare

After social media has become a part of our daily lives, it is no surprise that it plays a major role in the healthcare system. Social media offers several benefits to patients in this digital age. Though social media has several positive points, it has equal downsides.

Benefits of Social Media in Healthcare

Below are some of the major benefits offered by social media in healthcare,

• Attracting Potential Employees

For recruitment in healthcare services, social media helps in creating a positive appeal and build trust with prospective employees. 

• Conducting Advanced Research Works

The world is getting updated every day so the need of having research communities on social media is very much needed. Social media helps in proper collaboration and communication for several health research scientists. 

• Marketing Brand and Unique Practices

Healthcare service providers are using social media platforms to promote and market their practices to new patients.

• Promoting Health Information 

Healthcare organizations are utilizing social media to promote messages about general health and wellness information.

Healthcare practitioners and medicine-pursuing students are using social media to network and communicate with their peers.

• Studying Updated Medicinal Information 

Both new trainees and experienced healthcare professionals are using social media to further their education in healthcare.

• Treating Patients With Telemedicine

Many healthcare organizations nowadays use social media to provide telemedicine for treating patients, thereby expanding their reach and improving the convenience of obtaining healthcare.

Understanding Both the Benefits and Risks of Social Media in Healthcare

As we all know, social media is just a package of both positives and negatives. Though social media liberally benefits healthcare, it has certain drawbacks too. Know the benefits and risks of social media below,

• Probability of Privacy Breach

Due to the greater risk of privacy breaches and data insecurity, you need to be extremely careful with the information that you are posting on social media platforms. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has strict policies that dictate terms for protecting a patient’s personal information. So healthcare professionals need to be very careful about writing anything on any social media platform related to their patient's history or diagnosis. 

• Need Proper Guidance

Social media is an art that needs to be perfected with time. You need to be very careful in posting accurate, updated and relevant information on your social media platforms if you are aiming to get an online reputation or build a brand image. A single and insignificant mistake from your side can land you in trouble. So you need proper guidance to make you understand the nooks and corners of social media. 

• Opportunity for Patients to Praise Your Service 

Social media in healthcare isn’t just about privacy or security risks. It also offers potential benefits and rewards. For example, you could receive an overwhelmingly positive response from your patient and it would brighten your day. 

• Great Way to Recruiting 

Recruiting high-caliber and able employees is an important priority for every organization. Having quality practitioners translates to positive patient experiences and better names for healthcare centers. Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook help in giving regular updates about vacancies and hiring efficient employees.

• Boosting Reputation and Building Image

Being on online platforms helps health professionals in building trust and goodwill from patients. This helps in building your brand and boosts your reputation. 

• High Probability of Reputational Damage

Even though online platforms play a significant role in boosting your reputation, they can cause heavy damage to your brand image even when you make the slightest of mistakes. 

Take-Home Points

• Social media plays a major role in healthcare, especially in such a digital world. 

• It helps in boosting your reputation, provides opportunities for recruiting employees, collaborating with other healthcare experts, accessing data of patients and also offering telemedicine. 

• Though social media in healthcare has several benefits, it is a sensitive platform which has risks like data theft and privacy breach.

References

• Benefits of Social media in Healthcare

• Social media and Its Impact on Healthcare