Should health care jump on the social media bandwagon?

Last month in the UK a surgeon potentially saved the life of an old school friend by diagnosing his symptoms for appendicitis on Facebook.

A family doctor Tweets a mom at home on a Friday afternoon about what time she can squeeze her daughter in for an appointment, in order to prescribe an antibiotic and save an unnecessary trip to Emergency.

A doctor sends an “all is OK” secure Blackberry message (BBM) directly to his patient, informing that her test results were negative, thereby ending her stomach-churning wait and avoiding an unnecessary doctor’s appointment just to hear the news.

We are increasingly hearing these types of social media health care success stories. So, is it time the health care system jumped on the social media bandwagon?

I recently jumped on the social media bandwagon with the goal of providing valuable health care information and advice through this blog. http://www.nursejackiehickey.blogspot.com/ is dedicated to helping family caregivers provide care, directing them to health care resources and offering health tips. I believe social media can make a difference in the way health care practitioners deliver care.

What if we were able to use social media applications to find a caregiver who could meet a client at home on a Friday evening so they wouldn’t have to wait until Monday morning for a hospital discharge?

What if you campaigned on Facebook for an organ donor or canvassed for donations to bring a child overseas for a lifesaving operation… oh, wait a minute, haven’t we already seen this happen?

What if health care professionals posted reliable, evidence-based health education videos on YouTube to be viewed in the comfort of a person’s home, 24/7?... oh, yes, we’re already doing this too.

There may be great potential for the use of social media to support client care in the 21st century.

In my opinion, social media have the potential to enable health care professionals to engage and communicate with patients about their health more effectively. Since social media’s role is to transport instant information, it could benefit health care by facilitating accurate health information and empowering patients to be proactive and take charge of their health. We need innovative health care services that are accessible, convenient and sustainable – and social media are the vehicle to drive these strategies.

Do you know the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is women over 55? – which is also a significant segment of family caregivers.

So, don’t wait. Get on the social media bandwagon today. Join the 600-plus million people on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/). I’ll be your first friend (www.facebook.com/nursejackiehickey). I mentioned in my blog a few weeks ago that I set up my mom with her own Facebook page. Today she has nine friends, communicates with her granddaughter who is studying in New Zealand and checks in with her daughter each day just to make sure everything is all right.

Social media are convenient, accessible and sustainable. You betcha!