by Emily Handy
Not all side effects of social networking are negative.
While recent studies claim that social networking can lead to physical and mental health problems, others are finding that the online communication trend can help promote good health, assist in emergency response and cut health care costs.
Not all side effects of social networking are negative.
While recent studies claim that social networking can lead to physical and mental health problems, others are finding that the online communication trend can help promote good health, assist in emergency response and cut health care costs.
The simplest way social networking has become beneficial for those with health issues is by offering a way for them to connect with others — whether they want to find more information or just talk.
Communities like patientslikeme.com offer a digital safe-haven for patients of various conditions — ranging from Epilepsy to a number of mental disorders — where they can browse symptoms, treatments, research and talk with other patients registered on the site.
Since its creation in 2004, the site has gained more than 65,000 members and ranked among Fast Company's 50 most innovative companies, according to its website.
Sites like this are beneficial, especially for patients who have difficulty leaving their home. But patientslikeme isn't the only site that is connecting patients with medical information from the comfort of their own home.
Sites like this are beneficial, especially for patients who have difficulty leaving their home. But patientslikeme isn't the only site that is connecting patients with medical information from the comfort of their own home.
Twitter.com, a site popular for networking, has become a new medium for doctors, turning potential patients into an audience.
According to Mashable, a news site that follows social and digital media, some doctors are taking to Twitter to blog about medical news and their own experiences in the field.
Hellohealth.com takes this idea a step further as one of the only healthcare providers that operates online, as well as in person; stressing the importance of patient and doctor interactions.
According to a report on Good Morning America, more than 100 hospitals have a twitter, one surgeon even using the account to tweet during a surgery. Other hospitals are using twitter to answer questions of medical students located even thousands of miles away.
According to a report on Good Morning America, more than 100 hospitals have a twitter, one surgeon even using the account to tweet during a surgery. Other hospitals are using twitter to answer questions of medical students located even thousands of miles away.
USF's own Moffitt Cancer Center has a Twitter page where they make announcements about hospital events, post links to stories about their patients and even provide medical research, like, "'As many as 70% of known causes of cancers are avoidable,' says Moffitt's Dr. Thomas Sellers."
Doctors even have their own social network now, Ozmosis.com, where they can talk with peers, rather than patients.
And incorporating social networking into such medical activities is actually reducing healthcare costs, according to InformationWeek. According to an article published this month, not only are costs going down, but also the quality of care is rising. The Department of Veterans Affairs officials stated in the article that their online system VistA has cut per-patient costs by 30 percent while filtering out unnecessary tests.
But this doesn't mean patients will never have to leave their homes, at least not yet -- the American College of Physicians is still working on guidelines for social media use in the medical world.
In the meantime, patients can expect more medical information to become available online, but still have to drive to the doctor's office for treatment.
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