Digital citizenship and social media can transform patient care by facilitating new forms of communication. There are nine elements of digital citizenship, including digital communication, literacy, etiquette, and rights/responsibilities. Digital communication now allows constant connectivity through options like email, phones, and messaging. In healthcare, social media platforms give doctors opportunities to encourage patient/doctor communication in new styles. Blogs, podcasts, and Twitter are examples of social media that can be used to provide patients with medical advice, experiences, and answers to questions. The benefits include improved patient/doctor communication and access to information/other patients, while barriers include legal risks, costs, privacy issues, and lack of technology knowledge.

1. Digital Citizenship and Social
Media in Patient Care
EMORY SOM

2. Digital Citizenship

3. Exercise 1
REFLECT ON HOW YOU CURRENTLY
COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR PATIENTS.
REFLECT ON HOW YOU COMMUNICATE WITH
YOUR PEERS.

4. What is Digital Citizenship
 Digital Citizenship is the norms of appropriate,
responsible technology use.
www.digitalcitizenship.net

5. Nine Elements
 Digital Access
 Digital Commerce
 Digital Communication
 Digital Literacy
 Digital Etiquette
 Digital Law
 Digital Rights & Responsibilities
 Digital Health & Wellness
 Digital Security
Check out definitions for
each area at:
Nine Elements

6. Digital Communication
 One of the significant changes within the digital revolution is
a person’s ability to communicate with other people. In the
19th century, forms of communication were limited. In the
21st century, communication options have exploded to offer a
wide variety of choices (e.g., e-mail, cellular phones, instant
messaging). The expanding digital communication options
have changed everything because people are able to keep in
constant communication with anyone else. Now
everyone has the opportunity to communicate and
collaborate with anyone from anywhere and anytime.
Unfortunately, many users have not been taught how to make
appropriate decisions when faced with so many different
digital communication options. - www.digitalcitzenship.net

7. Digital Communication
 Digital Communication is transforming healthcare
and the relationship that patients have with their
providers.
 Medical Doctors have the opportunity to harness the
power of social media platforms to encourage a new
style of patient/doctor communication.

8. Social Media

9. Exercise 2
READ THE ARTICLE: TAKE TWO ASPIRIN AND
TWEET ME IN THE MORNING BY CARLEEN
HAWN
ARTICLE
PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE OF WHEN YOU COULD
HAVE USED SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROVIDE
IMPROVED CARE TO A PATIENT(S)

10. BLOGS
 Definition: A Web site on which someone writes
about personal opinions, activities, and experiences.
 Examples of popular blog sites:
Blogger, Wordpress, Tumblr
 Applications: Providers can create and maintain a
blog of medical advice and advances, tips and
precautions. Assuming consent, experiences of other
patients can be included as warnings or positive
examples.
 Links: www.thehealtcareblog.com,CDC, WSJ

11. PODCASTS
 Definition: a digital audio or video file or recording,
usually part of a themed series, that can be
downloaded from a Web site to a media player or
computer
 Applications: Similar to Blogs, Podcasts offer
physicians and healthcare providers and opportunity
to broadcast medical knowledge and experience to
followers. Podcast are often similar to radio shows
that allow host to provide answers to submitted
questions.

12. TWITTER
 Twitter: A short message broadcasting application
 Applications: Many Hospitals and Healthcare
providers have created twitter feeds to provide
patients with healthcare related news and
information. Other independent practices have
offered twitter chats allowing patients to follow and
ask semi-anonymous questions.
 Links: CHOA, EMORY, AMA

13. BENEFITS
 Patient/Physician Communication
 Patient Access to Healthcare Information
 Patient/Physician Access to Healthcare Community
 Patient to Patient Connection/Communication

14. BARRIERS
 Legal Risks
 Costs
 Privacy
 Technology Know How
 Tech Phobia

15. Assessment
 Follow the link below to complete a short evaluation
 https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/62BV32V