Operating on Social Media for Medical Information

Those that live in cities and near medical facilities might take for granted the availability of healthcare.

It’s easy to pop in a doc in the box or run in to see your practitioner on a few hours’ notice. If a specialist is needed, they’re usually right there, too.

But what about those who don’t have such accessible health care, maybe due to location for those in more rural areas.

Are there other ways of gaining information?

Social Media

Social media is big; we all know that.

We can learn from social media, connect through it and engage using social media. It’s not so far-fetched to use social media for medical needs.

And this can go both ways – doctors, hospitals and medical clinics can use social media to reach out to patients and at the same time, patients can use it to reach doctors and staff as well.

Doctors, Staff and Facilities to Patients:

Doctors can use social media to reach out to patients in a variety of ways.

One example is posting medical research and findings on social media and getting it to their patients. The same goes for hospitals and clinics – if they are opening new departments, hiring new physicians or implementing new care protocol, they can publish it in social media.

Social media is a great platform for general material to get out to patients.

Even texts can be used for appointment reminders and invoice notices, but personal information should never be disseminated through social media.

Patients Gaining Information:

Just as doctors can release information to their patients through social media, patients can use it to connect with doctors or other patients through groups and social networks.

Again, confidentiality is key here, especially when it’s a doctor/patient communication, but patients on social network sites can learn a lot from one another’s experience and medical journeys.

Reaching a Broader Area

As the following article shows, in November of 2014, headlines hit of the USDA Announces $10 Million in Healthcare Grants.

These grants can make it much easier for those in rural areas to gain needed medical information and care.

Because of geographic areas and barriers, poor nutrition and difficult access to medical care, those in rural areas often have more healthcare issues than those with better access to healthcare and information.

With this grant, more people can gain the access they need, and social media will probably be a big part of getting the information out there.

Again, the Internet offers capabilities that people didn’t have even a decade ago.

With better information dissemination, people can learn better daily habits to keep themselves healthy, and when to seek care when they may need it, even through social media.

from Darlene Milligan http://ift.tt/1KkDNkt via small business marketing company

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