Social media sites can be a great way for healthcare professionals to network with colleagues and share health information. Healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and physical therapists, have plenty of options when it comes to establishing an online presence. Like all of us, they can start a blog or join networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace. There are also online communities exclusively for healthcare practitioners. Although it has taken them time to catch up, healthcare professionals have entered Health 2.0 and are now turning to ways they can personalize health care, collaborate, and promote health education.
Social media is a broad Internet-based mechanism which permits human beings and …show more content…
Social media provides nurses with a way to express their feelings, and reflect or seek support from friends, colleagues, peers or virtually anyone on the Internet. Journaling and reflective practice are recognized as effective tools in nursing practice, and the Internet provides an alternative media for nurses to engage in these helpful activities. Without a sense of caution, however, these understandable needs and potential benefits may result in the nurse disclosing too much information, and violating patient privacy and confidentiality. Health care organizations that utilize electronic and social media typically have policies governing employee use of such media in the workplace. Components of these policies often address personal use of employer computers and equipment, personal computing during work hours, and the types of websites that can be accessed from employer computers. Health care organizations also maintain careful control of websites maintained by or associated with the organization, limiting what may be posted to the site and by …show more content…
Uses include communicating with the community and patients; enhancing organizational visibility; marketing products and services; establishing a venue for acquiring news about activities, promotions, and fund-raising; providing a channel for patient resources and education; and providing customer service and support. It has been estimated that 70% of U.S. health care organizations use social media, with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube being the most popular. Blogs are also used by many medical centers and hospitals. . J Nurs Educ. 2014;19:1–6.
Social media is a broad Internet-based mechanism which permits human beings and …show more content…
Social media provides nurses with a way to express their feelings, and reflect or seek support from friends, colleagues, peers or virtually anyone on the Internet. Journaling and reflective practice are recognized as effective tools in nursing practice, and the Internet provides an alternative media for nurses to engage in these helpful activities. Without a sense of caution, however, these understandable needs and potential benefits may result in the nurse disclosing too much information, and violating patient privacy and confidentiality. Health care organizations that utilize electronic and social media typically have policies governing employee use of such media in the workplace. Components of these policies often address personal use of employer computers and equipment, personal computing during work hours, and the types of websites that can be accessed from employer computers. Health care organizations also maintain careful control of websites maintained by or associated with the organization, limiting what may be posted to the site and by …show more content…
Uses include communicating with the community and patients; enhancing organizational visibility; marketing products and services; establishing a venue for acquiring news about activities, promotions, and fund-raising; providing a channel for patient resources and education; and providing customer service and support. It has been estimated that 70% of U.S. health care organizations use social media, with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube being the most popular. Blogs are also used by many medical centers and hospitals. . J Nurs Educ. 2014;19:1–6.