Social Media And Health Care Essay

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Social media has sparked the twenty-first century’s communication explosion. Social media has intensely changed the way we live, communicate, and socialize. Social media allow the users to engage and exchange information over many channels provided by social media, such as blogs, microblogging, social network sites and video sharing sites. Social media provides individuals with two way communication and information broadcasting. Through the Internet technology, social media channels are easily accessible and millions of users receive, disseminate, and generate information contents. These contents are usually in the form of words, pictures, videos, or a combination of the three forms. These contents are normally created as user-generated contents …show more content…

Social media allow the healthcare professionals to share information, to debate health care policy and practice issues, to promote health behaviors, to engage with the public, and to educate and interact with patients, caregivers, students, and colleagues. Health care professionals’ use social media to improve health outcomes, develop a professional network, increase personal awareness of news and discoveries, motivate patients, and provide health information to the community. Social media have created huge global networks and can spread the information quickly. When nurses are involved in advocacy role, they can use social media such as opinion editorial, personal interviews, websites, texting, Facebook, Twitter, and/or blogs to influence public opinion related to a policy priority. However, social media also can cause possible risks to patients and healthcare professionals regarding the distribution of poor-quality information, damage to professional image, breaches of patient privacy, violation of personal and professional boundaries, and licensing or legal issues. Therefore, it is important to monitor the quality and reliability of the information exchanged. When social media is used wisely and carefully, it can improve individual and public health, as well as professional development and advancement (Ventola,

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