Twitter In Health And Social Care

Social media is a forum that not only gives information but allows one to interact and provide feedback about that information. Often referred to as Web 2.0, which is the transition of the World Wide Web from being a provider to a receiver of information. In earlier years, media provided the public with information but not allowing for sharing of views or feedback. In this way you could think of the forms of media such as newspaper, the local news, and radio as a one way street. The social media forums of Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and the like are more of a two way street with information going both ways on the street. However, when most anyone in the medical profession hear the term social media, it most likely sends shivers down the

The study was conducted by nurses who were concerned about the information and misinformation available to mothers they termed advanced maternal age which were mothers who were 35 years old or older. The nurses set up a survey of 40 questions through a Twitter page. The findings of the survey indicated that Twitter was a cost-effective means of recruitment, enabling, engagement with potentially difficult-to reach populations, providing participants with transparency, anonymity and a more accessible method by which to participate in health research. (O’Connor, Jackson, Goldsmith & Skirton, 2013) This study successfully proved that social media is becoming more of an acceptable means of obtaining information in the area of

(p. e33) The fact that local health departments have Twitter accounts is proof that the medical community is taking steps in the right direction. Reaching the local public through Twitter or other forms of social media can keep them abreast of local health situations such as flu statistics. One of the most interesting articles I read concerning healthcare and social media was the case of Hello Health. This is an online primary care practice based out of Brooklyn, New York. Patients pay a monthly fee for the service and are able to have a cyber-visit with a doctor when needed. If a more in depth consultation is needed you are able to obtain an appointment within twenty-four hours or a doctor will visit your home. Hello Health does not accept insurance because most insurers will not pay for cyber-visits. Dr. Jay Parkinson, founder of Hello Health stated:
“Our profession, at its core, is fundamentally flawed relative to