Professional Experience Placement

Househ (2013) explored the impacts of social media on healthcare organisations, clinicans and patients.  The author found that the use of social media is a growing trend and requires engagement by healthcare organisations and pracitioners. The paper notes that health professionals engage in social media in a variety of ways. This engagement can be at a a systems and individual level.  The author mentions individal approaches such as providing information about health topics relating to education, health promotion using a variety of digital platoforms. The author notes there is little research into the effects of social media on patient care.  Househ (2013) also found that impediments to using digital platforms were cost, inadequate training and maintenance of the content. Factors that facilitate its use include the widespread use of the internet and reletively low cost of bandwidth.

Househ (2013) discussed these aspects from the patient, physician and organisational perspective.  The voice of the nurses or clinical supervisors is absent in this paper and would provide further understanding of the complex of engaging in this platform by all stakeholders. However, the paper provides a number of  insights that are meritious and need to be included in any discussion about using social media within sectors of the health profession. These include policy and standards development, privacy, legal and ethical issues. Furthermore technological, financial and information factors also need to be considered at individual and systems levels. There is mention that all stakeholders have a responsibility to ensure the that health information that is transmitted through digital platforms is reliable, credible and trustworthy.

Do you use social media? Do you use it any aspect of your role and function.  Have you used it as a patient or client. If you have any comments about using social media in healthcare, you are welcome to post them here.