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Review
. 2014 Feb 11;16(2):e13.
doi: 10.2196/jmir.2912.

Social media: a review and tutorial of applications in medicine and health care

Francisco Jose Grajales 3rd  1 , Samuel Sheps, Kendall Ho, Helen Novak-Lauscher, Gunther Eysenbach
Affiliations
Review

Social media: a review and tutorial of applications in medicine and health care

Francisco Jose Grajales 3rd et al. J Med Internet Res. .

Abstract

Background: Social media are dynamic and interactive computer-mediated communication tools that have high penetration rates in the general population in high-income and middle-income countries. However, in medicine and health care, a large number of stakeholders (eg, clinicians, administrators, professional colleges, academic institutions, ministries of health, among others) are unaware of social media's relevance, potential applications in their day-to-day activities, as well as the inherent risks and how these may be attenuated and mitigated.

Objective: We conducted a narrative review with the aim to present case studies that illustrate how, where, and why social media are being used in the medical and health care sectors.

Methods: Using a critical-interpretivist framework, we used qualitative methods to synthesize the impact and illustrate, explain, and provide contextual knowledge of the applications and potential implementations of social media in medicine and health care. Both traditional (eg, peer-reviewed) and nontraditional (eg, policies, case studies, and social media content) sources were used, in addition to an environmental scan (using Google and Bing Web searches) of resources.

Results: We reviewed, evaluated, and synthesized 76 articles, 44 websites, and 11 policies/reports. Results and case studies are presented according to 10 different categories of social media: (1) blogs (eg, WordPress), (2) microblogs (eg, Twitter), (3) social networking sites (eg, Facebook), (4) professional networking sites (eg, LinkedIn, Sermo), (5) thematic networking sites (eg, 23andMe), (6) wikis (eg, Wikipedia), (7) mashups (eg, HealthMap), (8) collaborative filtering sites (eg, Digg), (9) media sharing sites (eg, YouTube, Slideshare), and others (eg, SecondLife). Four recommendations are provided and explained for stakeholders wishing to engage with social media while attenuating risk: (1) maintain professionalism at all times, (2) be authentic, have fun, and do not be afraid, (3) ask for help, and (4) focus, grab attention, and engage.

Conclusions: The role of social media in the medical and health care sectors is far reaching, and many questions in terms of governance, ethics, professionalism, privacy, confidentiality, and information quality remain unanswered. By following the guidelines presented, professionals have a starting point to engage with social media in a safe and ethical manner. Future research will be required to understand the synergies between social media and evidence-based practice, as well as develop institutional policies that benefit patients, clinicians, public health practitioners, and industry alike.

Keywords: blogging; social media; social network.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: One of the authors (GE) is editor of the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR). Because of his involvement in the conduct of this research and writing of this paper, assessment and peer review have been carried out entirely by an associate editor (Potts), who was not made aware of the fact that GE was a coauthor. GE has not been involved in any editorial decisions related to this paper. GE is also producer of the Medicine 2.0 Conference Series, which deals with social media and mHealth.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A sample rounding blogging case.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The HealthSeeker Diabetes Education App on Facebook.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A public profile on LinkedIn.
Figure 4
Figure 4
CureTogether’s page on chronic fatigue syndrome.
Figure 5
Figure 5
North American outbreaks in the HealthMap Mashup.
Figure 6
Figure 6
An avatar inside a virtual operating room in Second Life.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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