A.

What are the benefits, risks and opportunities in using social media in the
healthcare industry?

In 2015, there are 864 million active social media users who access Facebook every
day (“Pros and cons of social media in healthcare”, 2015). In this modern era, people not only
use social media to connect to people, or purchase online, but it has also influenced people’s
(or patient’s) healthcare decisions.

According to the Pew Institute, the growing popularity of social media in health care
can be attributed to two key factors:
1. The widespread use of social media tools; and
2. The growing desire for patients, particularly those afflicted by chronic illness, to
connect with each other (Russell, 2017).

Social media offers health care professionals and organizations many benefits. But
these benefits come with risks and challenges. Some of the benefits, risks and opportunities
of social media use in health care are the following:

Benefits
1. Physicians can easily connect with patients an establish relationships online, which
allows them to build credibility and trust with the online community
2. Access to information – Physicians can access the latest diagnosis and treatment
information
3. Cost-effective way to reach patients – it does not cost anything to get started on social
media
4. Communicating during a crisis – because of the instantaneous and wide-reaching
ability of social media, it is particularly beneficial at helping to inform and protect
5. Building awareness amongst practitioners and raising local awareness during crisis
6. Patients use social media to guide their health decisions, such as researching about
their conditions, talking with peers about doctors, medications and many more
7. Monitor patient interests – Health care providers can better understand their patients’
concerns through social media – blogs, forums, review sites and other digital sources
8. Increase trust and credibility – Physicians can use social media to build their
reputation
9. Raising awareness for campaigns and programs – Social media can help in
encouraging patient participation and support in various health care cause or issue
10. Increasing peer support – Social media platforms encourages social support amongst
patients who have experienced or are still experiencing the same conditions. It also
provides a platform for clarifying doubts and opening up conversations about mental
health issues or other sensitive issues

Risks

2
 1. Control – Social media users sometimes cannot control what they say on social media
platforms
2. Patient privacy – Direct conversations with patients may inadvertently expose patient
health information and may violate the data privacy act
3. Time – It takes commitment, continued efforts and time to build your reputation on
social media – creating content, managing your page, responding to comments, etc.
4. Breach of ethical requirements and protection of patients’ rights
5. Breach of security
6. Poor quality of information
7. Damage to professional image
8. Legal issues

Opportunities
1. Growing demand for trustworthy and accessible medical information – health care
providers can elevate their brand authority amongst patients through social media.
This can be done by listening and monitoring, engagement and content dissemination
2. Monitoring patient insights through different social media platforms can be used to
create relevant content that speaks to the interests of a targeted patient segment
3. Since staying compliant to ethical requirements and protecting patient information is
crucial, organizations should establish and implement best practices and guidelines for
social media use
4. It is both a challenge and an opportunity for organizations to remain compliant to
ethical requirements while actively engaging in an increasingly digital world.

References:

2015 February 13. Pros and cons of social media in healthcare [Web log post] Retrieved from
https://www.yourpracticeonline.net/blog/pros-and-cons-of-social-media-in-healthcare-
7135.html

Bentley, A. 2018 March 13. 5 Benefits of social media in healthcare [Web log post].
Retrieved from https://www.healthcareguys.com/2018/03/13/5-benefits-of-social-
media-in-healthcare/

Russell, J. 2017, January 31. Social media in health care: The benefits, challenges, and
opportunities [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-
health-care/