Social media today is the most impactful way to market services and products. Its prowess has fetched a distinct range of customers to many businesses.
And the healthcare industry is fast catching up. The inhabitation of medical practices in multiple varsities of social media has sent ripples in the society of its impact. With an exponential rise in the number of "e-patients," the trustworthiness of information shared on these platforms is being constantly questioned. The fact, however remains that role of Facebook and Twitter cannot be undermined.
Be it communication on online communities, mere information dissipation through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Yelp, YouTube elucidating medical procedures or patient experiences, the vicinity of social media is completely embedded in medical practices and will continue in the near future.
THE IMPACT: POSITIVE
A recent study showed 1/6th of the internet fraternity chooses internet for health information. This conveys a clear message that e-patients are steadily becoming self-reliant. That is an additional advantage for social media in the healthcare industry.
• Growth in number of e-patients: Online communities have allowed patients to connect globally and given them an opportunity to share their issues. You may not be the only one in the world to have a particular disease. What these forums and communities are doing is allowing patients to choose the best option when it comes to finding remedies. Furthermore, these communities retain confidentiality of patients.
• Direct communication: With the advent of social media, communication with the doctors has become a lot easier. Earlier, it used to be much more difficult. Now, patients are able to seek medical advice quicker. Seeing the rising interest of patients, doctors also are starting to provide direct information to them in the form of blog posts, tweets and Facebook updates.
• Marketing Avenue for pharmacy: Social media is also proving to be a magnificent tool for pharmacy industry to launch products. It has given consumers the power and ability to rate and review products, henceforth providing crucial information to those who would like to purchase these products.
• Raising awareness: Doctors are frequently using these platforms to inform patients about multiple health issues and health products that may prove beneficial. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter allow patients to get relevant knowledge much faster.
THE IMPACT: NEGATIVE
Every coin has two sides. With every positive side, there comes negative side too and this holds true for social media as well. However, constant engagement of the users may decrease the negative impact.
• Exploitation of social networking: There have been cases where these platforms are often used to abuse others. In one such incident, a hospital staff abused a man who was beaten up badly. Instead of helping him, the staff clicked pictured of him and posted on Facebook. This not only violates the privacy of the patients, but also shows how social media can affect someone's life.
• Lack of correct information: No matter how much far social media goes, nothing beats the personal treatment of a doctor. In some cases, one may rely on the information available. However, how much a patient can rely on the information provided by online communities and forums? YouTube videos can be trusted to a certain context. To check the relevance of the information, the e-patient must thoroughly examine the genuineness of the person providing the information.
• More investment of time: No doubt, social media demands more time from doctors. This facet is often questioned repeatedly. Doctors have to think twice before investing their time because they fear it might eat up their valuable time.
Overall, it clearly shows that social media cannot replace conventional marketing means. Yes, when it comes to creating and spreading awareness, it is the best bet!
