The internet is buzzing with health information. Most healthcare facilities host websites that give information about their missions, the services they provide, current events, future plans, virtual tours, patient education and other information. But to add a new dimension, approximately 6 percent of U.S. hospitals (300 of 5,000) use social networks (Bennett in Jarvis, 2009). Twitter is the most popular because of ease of use.
Healthcare providers and patients are blogging about their experiences. Hospitals are uploading videos of surgical procedures. At one Fort Worth, Texas, hospital, 30 nurses, physicians and employees contribute to a blog. One palliative care nurse shares stories about her patients with their permission.
Using Twitter, operating room staff update family members during surgery, and, in one case, a surgeon guided another doctor through an emergency procedure.
Despite concerns about privacy, many people share their own health-related concerns, medical conditions and treatment freely on social networking sites. Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital identified 195 forums and 36 groups on MySpace on the subject of asthma. Many posts contained misinformation, such as “Cocaine helps my asthma” (Munafo in Shute, 2009). Two other studies by researchers at Seattle Children’s Research Institute found that 54 percent of adolescents who use MySpace discuss substance abuse, sexual behavior and violence.
Social networking sites offer a means of updating fast-changing information, for example in emergency preparedness situations such as the swine flu threat.
Numerous sites have sprung up that allow users to rate hospitals and healthcare providers. Some hospitals use Web-based services to collect patient satisfaction data. Chen, an attorney who is an internationally-recognized expert on intellectual property in biotech and other fields, recommends that healthcare facilities devote resources to the role of an “e-community relations manager” to monitor what others are writing about the facility and its services.
For nurses, the rapid growth of Web-based healthcare communication has important implications. It is best to encourage patients to use authoritative sites that end in dot-gov and dot-edu to validate information that they may read on other sites, on blogs or in chat rooms. Take the opportunity to clarify and perhaps refute erroneous or misunderstood information. Advise skepticism and encourage the patient to consult his healthcare provider to verify information he has discovered on the Web.
In your own use of social networking sites, be aware of HIPAA privacy requirements and confidentiality standards reflected not only in facility policy but in the Nurse Practice Acts of many states. Violation of confidentiality can expose you not only to discipline within your facility, but can also jeopardize your license.
Use credible Web-based resources to strengthen your own evidence-based approach to practice, always acting within the policies of your facility.
Chen, T. (November 21, 2007). Should hospitals blog? Retrieved July 27, 2009 from http://www.hospitalimpact.org/index.php/scoop/2007/11/21/should_hospitals_blog
Jarvis, J. (July 26, 2009). Blogosphere gives hospitals, medical talk an outlet. Retrieved July 27, 2009 from http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6548527.html
Shute, N. (January 6, 2009). 3 ways teens can avoid bogus health info online: Kids using MySpace to look for medical information often get sketchy advice. Retrieved July 27, 2009 from http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2009/01/06/3-ways-teens-can-avoid-bogus-health-info-online.html?s_cid=related-links:TOP
U.S.News and World Report. (January 6, 2009). Health buzz: Teens using MySpace and other health news: Teens who use MySpace often discuss sex, substance abuse, violence. Retrieved July 27, 2009 from http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2009/01/06/health-buzz-teens-using-myspace-and-other-health news.html?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a41:g2:r19:c0.054268:b20598557:z0&s_cid=loomia:3-ways-teens-can-avoid-bogus-health-info-online