Social Media Utilization by Healthcare Leaders

Gali Halevi,Jesse H Yoon,Amy Cao Liu

doi:10.29024/jsim.4

Gali Halevi, Jesse H Yoon + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.29024/jsim.4

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Abstract

Background: In this study we surveyed over 200 healthcare leaders who hold high level management positions across institutions regarding their use and awareness of social media. Method: An online and on-site survey was used to gather information about social media use. Results: The survey found that that healthcare leaders have very little awareness of social media use in their organizations. The survey also found that they mostly use social media for personal purposes and that use is limited to two platforms, Facebook and LinkedIn. In addition, it became clear that patient engagement and research or professional collaborations through social media are not within their scope of activities. Conclusions: More education and awareness is needed in this area. Since social media is gaining presence in all areas of healthcare it is important to raise awareness to its proper use and potential.

Highlights

As modern society adapts to the presence of ever more social media platforms and communications and people become increasingly connected through them, the use of social media in clinical settings has expanded as well
Whether as a personal communication tool or as sources of information, social media has crossed age, professional and geographical barriers. These channels can serve as efficient tools for clinicians and healthcare leaders to communicate with patients especially in areas of population health
Younger generation of clinicians that are already using social media will probably be more engaged with these channels as ways to communicate with both patients and colleagues

Summary

Introduction

As modern society adapts to the presence of ever more social media platforms and communications and people become increasingly connected through them, the use of social media in clinical settings has expanded as well. Clinicians and healthcare professionals are seen to be using social media platforms as tools to communicate with patients, collaborate with colleagues and keep up to date on medical advancements. Earlier studies have shown that healthcare professionals often engage in social media for professional purposes [3, 13], mostly using LinkedIn and Twitter to collaborate with colleagues. Other platforms rising in popularity are Doximity and Sermo, which are designed exclusively for licensed physicians seeking to network and collaborate in a secure and HIPPA compliant professional setting Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can provide clinicians with opportunities to network, collaborate, and seek peer advice [1, 2, 5, 7, 12]. Since social media is gaining presence in all areas of healthcare it is important to raise awareness to its proper use and potential

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