When you’re feeling under the weather, what’s the first thing you do? Do you call up your doctor and schedule an appointment? Or, like millions of Americans, do you search your symptoms on the Internet first? The first thing I do whenever I notice an unusual symptom or feel sick is Google my symptoms. The last thing I want to do when I’m sick is call up the doctor and have to wait days or weeks for an appointment while continuing to suffer from whatever is bothering me.
Share symptoms, Connect with others
But besides using search engines to find more information about a disease or disorder, people are increasingly turning to social media to self-diagnose and find remedies. While it may seem odd to rely on strangers rather than your home doctor for medical information, it can be a great way to obtain quick information from people who have had similar experiences. We all know that the Internet provides us with a (false?) sense of privacy, and I would imagine that people find it a lot easier to pose a question as an anonymous stranger than have to admit their maladies to a doctor face-to-face.
Personally, I am often worried that I’m making too big of a deal about something that’s bothering me, so I prefer to try to find an answer from an online community. Apparently, I’m not alone. According to a 2009 Manhattan Research survey, 35% of U.S. adults used social media for health and medical purposes in 2009, up from 27% in 2008.
According to the survey, 80 million U.S. adults in 2009 also created or consumed health care content on:
- Blogs;
- Chat rooms;
- Message boards;
- Online communities;
- Online social networks; and
- Patient testimonials
Below is an interesting video highlighting the way the Internet has changed health care:
Rise of the E-Hospital
Hospitals are getting in on the social media action too. Over 400 have Facebook and Twitter pages, and over 200 have YouTube channels. The entire health care industry is adapting to care for the millions of “e-patients” who turn to the Internet over traditional treatment methods. According to an article on Free Republic, President Obama has pledged $50 billion dollars over the next 5 years to help hospitals digitalize their health records. Creating electronic health records will improve the quality and reduce the costs of health care for most Americans.
But this digital revolution comes at a price–privacy. There are obviously risks in sharing confidential health information over the Internet. But this is already what people are doing on social media sites. People may think they’re anonymous, but anything they search or type can be traced back to them. Social media is transforming everything, and the health care industry is no exception. Personally, I think it’s vital for the industry to adapt to the way people are using the Internet for health care today. Getting the best, most helpful information for patients is what’s important, and social media could be just what the doctor ordered.
Healthy Living Through Social Media 