Social Media and Health Care (Part II): Narrative Review of Social Media Use by Patients (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND People are now connected in a borderless web-based world. The modern public, especially the younger generation, relies heavily on the internet as the main source of health-related information. In health care, patients can use social media for more tailored uses such as telemedicine, finding a provider, and for peer support. OBJECTIVE The aim of this narrative review is to discuss how social media has been used in the health care industry from the perspective of patients and describe the main issues surrounding its use in health care. METHODS Between March and June 2020, a review of the literature was conducted on PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science for English studies that were published since 2007 and discussed the use of social media in health care. In addition to only English publications that discussed the use of social media by patients, publications pertaining to ethical and legal considerations in the use of social media were included. The studies were then categorized as <i>health information</i>, <i>telemedicine</i>, <i>finding a health care provider</i>, <i>peer support and sharing experiences</i>, and <i>influencing positive health behavior</i>. In addition, two more sections were added to the review: <i>issues pertaining to social media use in health care</i> and <i>ethical considerations</i>. RESULTS Initially, 75 studies were included. As the study proceeded, more studies were included, and a total of 91 studies were reviewed, complemented by 1 textbook chapter and 13 web references. Approximately half of the studies were reviews. The first study was published in 2009, and the last was published in 2021, with more than half of the studies published in the last 5 years. The studies were mostly from the United States (n=40), followed by Europe (n=13), and the least from India (n=1). WhatsApp or WeChat was the most investigated social media platform. CONCLUSIONS Social media can be used by the public and patients to improve their health and knowledge. However, due diligence must be practiced to assess the credibility of the information obtained and its source. Health care providers, patients, and the public need not forget the risks associated with the use of social media. The limitations and shortcomings of the use of social media by patients should be understood.

The role, impact, and responsibilities of health experts on social media. A focus group study with future healthcare workers

“…In the literature on health experts using social media for health communication, many commentators are concerned about the risk of sensitive information being exposed in the sections with followers' comments (e.g., Munson et al, 2013;Yonker et al, 2015;Farsi, 2021). When asked explicitly about ethical concerns, none of the participants in the study mentioned this issue.…”

“…As a channel for qualified health information and advice, social media represent a new arena, and guidelines from public health authorities are rare (Gabarron et al, 2020;Farsi et al, 2022). However, research indicates that certain strategies work better than others in terms of evoking engagement among internet users.…”

“…Such a oneway approach to a typical two-way social arena may be motivated by several factors, such as the time demanded for staying connected and the risk of privacy breach (cf. Farsi, 2021).…”

“…This conflict comes to surface when institutionalized conventions regulating the behavior of professional health workers meet the open and sharing culture of social networks (Munson et al, 2013;Ferrell and Campos-Castillo, 2022;Atef et al, 2023). They are also related to the fact that the health-related information and advice offered on social media platforms are most often aimed at a wide audience (Farsi et al, 2022). When targeting a wide media audience, it can be challenging to find topics and a style of discourse that fits all, as well as to construct a sender identity and a social relation that evokes engagement and trust in all parts of the audience.…”