Social Media’s Role in Healthcare March 28, 2010

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.

Fighting Malaria Through Social Media March 17, 2010

As I have mentioned in past posts, people all over the world are using social media websites to get healthy. Now, even the United Nations has joined in using social media to fight the spread of malaria in Africa. On March 15, the Special Envoy for Malaria at the United Nations announced a special Social Media Envoy group that will use social media to raise awareness and help eliminate the disease. A long list of famous “Tweeters” have pledged to make one social media action, such as a tweet, Facebook post, or blog entry every month for the next year starting from World Malaria Day on April 25.

Some notable people who have signed on in the social media fight include:

• Arianna Huffington, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post
• Larry King, CNN Host of Larry King Live
• Ryan Seacrest, Entertainer & Host of American Idol
• Biz Stone, Co-founder of Twitter
• Alyssa Milano, Actress
• Kevin Rose, Founder of Digg

According to the UN’s press release regarding the new initiative, over 90 percent of malaria deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2007, over 190 million insecticidal mosquito nets have been delivered to the continent, covering nearly 400 million people or over 50 percent of the population, an increase from 10 percent in 2005. The UN hopes that raising awareness through social media will help generate more funding and aid to help protect the population from this epidemic.

This is a map of Malaria cases by country. As you can see, the disease is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa.

It’s great that celebrities and media giants are getting involved, and I believe this will really have an impact on stopping the spread of the disease.Though social media has been used before to raise money for research into diseases that plague Americans, such as cancer and heart disease, this is the first UN envoy dedicated to using social media to combat a specific disease.

The Great Divide

Though I admire the people involved for dedicating themselves to this cause, the fact that they’re using social media really highlights the tremendous gap between Western nations and sub-Saharan Africa. Wealthy celebrities and public figures are using the latest technology to raise money for an area where few people have access to clean water, let alone a computer. Though the people reading these tweets and Facebook posts likely have no personal connection to malaria, they are the ones with the means and resources to help eradicate it.

Every Bit Counts

This new campaign makes me think about how even you and I can do little things to help, like blog about this issue to spread awareness, or make a small donation to the cause. To be honest, before hearing about the UN’s social media plan, I had not thought about the impact of malaria at all, so I guess the campaign is already doing its job. Hopefully, other regular people will join in the social media campaign to end malaria–whether it’s through a donation, volunteer work, or even a supportive tweet.

Coping with Illness Through Social Media March 7, 2010

For those battling a serious disease, writing in a journal or blog may seem like a big waste of time. However, writing has shown to have a positive impact on people’s well-being, especially for those coping with illness. The Internet and social media sites have given patients the ability to blog and connect with others facing similar difficulties for support, encouragement, and companionship.

This past summer, my uncle’s sister was diagnosed with a brain tumor and began posting in an online journal to keep her family and friends updated on her symptoms and treatments. This was the first time I had encountered a social media site focused on bringing together people with serious illnesses. I was amazed at the outpouring of support she received from friends, family, and even strangers.

I still read her journal as she continues to battle the tumor and have left many supportive messages as well. Even though her posts were sometimes sad to read, I appreciated knowing what her status was from day to day since the tumor came on so suddenly, and it was difficult to keep updated with her in Syracuse and me in Geneseo. Since then, I have become interested in other social media sites devoted specifically to people suffering from a disease.

Share Struggles, Find Friends, & Create Connections

The website Blog For a Cure features an online community of over 2400 members. It allows cancer patients and others dealing with terminal illnesses to share their day-to-day struggles, progress, and effects of their treatment. There is also a Memorial Page for bloggers who pass away due to their diseases. Other bloggers, family members, and friends can leave feedback and supportive messages as well.

CancerMatch is another site that connects patients with different types of cancer and allows them to create profiles and form networks of friends with similar diagnoses. It also allows members to post events in their communities to meet up with their online friends and create support groups.  Though it focuses on connecting people for all types of relationships, it is especially focused on helping cancer patients find romantic partners. I can imagine it is extremely difficult for terminally ill people to find potential dates while coping with their illnesses. This seems like a great way to connect people who otherwise may have not found each other.

Even if you’re not battling an illness, you can still leave patients feedback on these sites. Sometimes all it takes to make someone’s day is an encouraging word from a stranger. The blogs on the first site are often sad but truly inspiring. Reading about my uncle’s sister’s struggles really helped put my daily annoyances in perspective. When you read about someone who is really struggling, a bad test grade or a fight with your roommate doesn’t really seem so bad.