By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Social Media and Participatory Medicine:the ePatient Movement
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Social Media > Social Media and Participatory Medicine:the ePatient Movement
Social Media

Social Media and Participatory Medicine:the ePatient Movement

Gary Levin MD
Gary Levin MD
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

 

A key component of cost containment in medicine and healthcare is wellness and compliance with treatments using educational courses, advocacy in groups of specific illness and support organizations to encourage patients with or without devastating illness.  This is particularly true in orphan diseases where a disease is uncommon or even rare, and chronic illnesses such as degenerative neurologic diseases, inherited diseases and cancer.

How can social media platforms such as twitter, blogs, facebook and G+ contribute to this effort?

 

More Read

compassionate use
Cancer Patient’s Compassionate Use Conundrum Leads to Social Media Ambush on BioMarin
FDA’s Dr. Katz Talks Social Media and Clinical Trials
LinkedIn Influencers: Good or Bad for Pharma?
The STAT Ten: Michael Seres, A Digital Health Patient, Participant and Hero
Doctors 2.0 & You: Infographic on the #doctors20 Hashtag

A key component of cost containment in medicine and healthcare is wellness and compliance with treatments using educational courses, advocacy in groups of specific illness and support organizations to encourage patients with or without devastating illness.  This is particularly true in orphan diseases where a disease is uncommon or even rare, and chronic illnesses such as degenerative neurologic diseases, inherited diseases and cancer.

How can social media platforms such as twitter, blogs, facebook and G+ contribute to this effort?

Hospitals are integrating these functions into their web sites

“As units of analysis, the authors first identified different types of online media formats utilized by each hospital (eg, blogs, instant-messaging, audio clips, and video clips etc.). After identifying media formats, patient health information content (eg, disease information, symptom checkers, and health education) was identified within each media format.”

 

In a recent study of 14 hospitals:

‘The 14 hospitals, ranked in order, include: (1) Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore; (2) Mayo Clinic; Minnesota; (3) Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; (4) Cleveland Clinic; (5) Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles; (6) New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell; (7) University of California, San Francisco Medical Center; (8) Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis; (9) Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia; (10) Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.; (11) Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston; (12) University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle; (13) UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; and (14) University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, Ann Arbor.[13]”

(author)

This study in The Journal of Participatory Medicine is  heavily skewed with major academic hospitals already ranked in the upper echelon of hospitals and all in major metropolitan areas, and the results do not truly indicate the overall adoption rate throughout the country. However since hospital web sites are online the information is easily accessible to the public.

The study also emphasizes the importance and necessity for broadband internet access throughout the country as a major public health imperative. It should also serve as a driver for either federal or state funding from public health agencies as part of their operating budget.  The use of internet media and social media may serve to decrease public health education using other media.

Blogs:

image

 

Social Media:

image

Analysis of Social Media Platforms used by surveyed. Hospitals

Broadcast media:

image

Web Enabled Communications

image

Mobile Apps

image

Citation: Gallant LM, Irizarry C, Boone G, Kreps G. Promoting participatory medicine with social media: new media applications on hospital websites that enhance health education and e-patients’ voice . J Participat Med. 2011 Oct 31; 3:e49.

Physicians should note that Social Media is here, and most likely will stay. The APIs (Application Platform Interfaces) are designed for users to layer their own specific software needs over the social media websites. It would seem that hospitals and physicians can easily integrate a social media site into their EMR. EMR vendors may choose to integrate SM into their products as well, with special attention to HIPAA regulations.

 

 

TAGGED:ePatientparticipatory medicine
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025
AI in Healthcare
AI in Healthcare: Technology is Transforming the Global Landscape
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
October 1, 2025
Choosing the Right Swimwear for Health and Safety
News
September 30, 2025
sports concussions
Concussion In Sports: How Common They Are And What You Need To Know
Infographics
September 28, 2025

You Might also Like

branding in healthcare
BusinessMarketingSocial Media

Should Healthcare Care About Branding?

August 3, 2018

Social Media Summit at Mayo Clinic: Day Two Exclusive Report

October 19, 2011
Image
Public Health

Person-Centered HealthCare: How to Stay Safe While at the Hospital

January 11, 2013

Diagnosing an Illness With Facebook

July 19, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?