This document discusses how consumers use the internet and social media for health information. About half of US adults own smartphones and 17% use them to look up health information. Social media allows for direct communication between patients and providers and the sharing of health experiences. However, privacy and unreliable information are concerns. The role of nurses includes disseminating effective health information online and enhancing provider-patient communication through technology.

1. Internet, Social Media, &
Healthcare Consumers
Stephanie Barrera

2. Objectives:
1.Describe characteristics of online consumers.
2.Discuss the benefits and risks of social media.
3.Examine the implications of the internet and social media
on health consumers.
4.Identify ethical issues related to the use of internet and
social media.
5.Analyze the role of the INS in the use of internet and
social media.

3. Who are the Online
Consumers?
About half of US adults own a smartphone
(Pew Research Center’s Internet & American
Life Project, 2012)
17% of these use a cell phone to look up
health of medical information (Purcell, 2012)
Minority Internet users are more likely than
non-Hispanic whites to use social sites, watch
vides, send/receive texts or emails (Pew
Internet & American Life Project, 2012)
55% of online users only access the internet
with their phones (Pew Research Center’s
Internet & American Life Project, 2012)

4. E-mails
Email is the e-communication technology
most pervasive in healthcare (Weaver,
Lindsay, & Gitelman, 2012)
5% of adults ages 18-64 have
communicated with a healthcare provider by
email in the past 12 months ( Cohen &
Strussman, 2010)
Allow for “continuous access and more
active participation in patients’ healthcare
by patients and families (Mann, Lloyd-
Puryear, & Linzer, 2006)
14% of US Internet users have signed up to
receive emails about health or medical
issues (Fox, 2011)

5. Text Messaging
The most convenient use of texts is to sent patients reminders or
alerts (Weaver, Lindsay, & Gitelman, 2012)
Has the ability to enable communication one-to-one or larger
audiences such as with mass/group texting (Weaver, Lindsay, &
Gitelman, 2012)
According to Weaver, Lindsay, & Gitelman (2012), some potential
benefits to healthcare are:
1.Convenience -consistently on hand and switched on.
2.Ubiquity- most have texting capability
3.Immediacy- recipients most likely to respond right away
4.Communication- two-way communication capabilities gives
opportunity for direct engagement
5.Monitoring- can be used to monitor/report symptoms
Measurability- results can be tabulated and measured
Dissemination- used for emergency alerts
Multimedia- can include links to audio, video, or websites

6. Videos
71% of US adults using the internet are using
video-sharing sites (Center for Disease
Control and Prevention, 2011)
YouTube is most popular site with 490 million
monthly visitors in the year 2011 (Center for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2011)
Many healthcare organizations provide
informative teaching videos for consumers on
their websites such as the CDC, Mayo Clinic,
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and NIH
(Center for Disease Control and Prevention,
2011)

7. Electronic Health Records
Part of the Meaningful Use requirements as per
the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
(Blumenthal, 2009)
Allow for nurses and patients to play a role in the
transformation in healthcare by providing feedback
to corporations developing EHRs (Weaver,
Lindsay, & Gitelman, 2012)
Some patient portals allow for direct
communication between patients and nurses to
answer questions and enhance patient teaching
(Coyle, 2012)
In a study, health insurance companies saved
about $1.7 million over 5 years of EHR use
(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
2011)

8. Social Media
Nurses and other healthcare providers can connect with colleagues
worldwide with remaining mindful of information shared (Weaver, Lindsay, &
Gitelman, 2012)
Facebook pages with private settings can be good source of information or
forums for a certain health issue in the community (Weaver, Lindsay, &
Gitelman, 2012)
Facebook pages by associations such as The American Nurses Association
can be a good source of education (Weaver, Lindsay, & Gitelman, 2012)
Twitter has been a source of frequent, topic-specific updates by using
hashtags regarding certain health topics or healthcare organizations
(Weaver, Lindsay, & Gitelman, 2012). For example “#heartdisease” or
following the Center for Disease Control.
LinkedIn serves as a great place to network and connect with colleagues
and potential job opportunities for healthcare providers (Weaver, Lindsay, &
Gitelman, 2012)
34% of Internet users read about other people’s health experiences online
(Fox, 2011) and 6% post questions or comments online (Weaver, Lindsay, &
Gitelman, 2012)
Patients are more likely to use social media than health professionals
(Antheunis, Tates, & Nieboer, 2013)

9. Benefits & Risks of Social
Media
The use of social media to reach patients is beneficial because it allows healthcare organizations
and providers to reach a large audience quickly and efficiently (Antheunis, Tates, & Nieboer,
2013)
Patients can communicate directly with each other or their healthcare providers to answer any
questions or ease anxiety about health issues (Weaver, Lindsay, & Gitelman, 2012)
The use of social media has proven to be a cost-effective way of improving the relationship
between provider and patient and enhance communication (Antheunis, Tates, & Nieboer, 2013)
Privacy concerns are one of the main barriers to patient use of social media (Antheunis, Tates, &
Nieboer, 2013)
Healthcare providers are less likely to use because they feel it is insufficient (Antheunis, Tates, &
Nieboer, 2013)
Many consumers are hesitant to research their health conditions for fear of finding unreliable
information (Antheunis, Tates, & Nieboer, 2013)

10. Implications of Internet & Social
Media on Health Consumers
Virtual communities have helped patients find
results by connecting, interacting, and sharing
experiences.
In remote areas social media through mobile
phones may result more cost-effective and
increase access & ease healthcare disparity.
Nurses have been able to communicate with
colleagues and remain updating with recent
innovations and developments.
Nursing education programs use social media
to connect current and past students and share
information.
(Barry & Hardiker, 2012)

11. Ethical Issues related to Internet
and Social Media Use
Evidence suggests that internet and social media
consumers are hesitant and distrusting of much of the
health information online.
There is un-moderated distribution of information
which can negatively affect gullible consumers.
Breaches of privacy on behalf of nurses and other
providers can seriously affect nurses, patients, and
the employer.
Nurses and healthcare providers must monitor their
social media content to avoid unprofessional,
defamatory, illegal, racial, or misogynistic postings.
Employers still need to enforce a balance between
allowing employees and patients to access social
media and also protecting confidentiality, security, and
employer’s legal interests.
(Barry & Hardiker, 2012)

12. The Role of the INS in use of
Internet & Social Media
The INS must be aware of where and how patients are seeking health
information and ensure clinicians are using effective methods to
disseminate health information.
Understanding the process of e-patient information-seeking behavior,
knowledge generation, and decision making will guide nurses in
effective education and support in patient medical decision making.
Collaborating with other clinicians to plan strategies for data and
information processing to improve patient care.
The INS should look for opportunities to leverage the resources,
ideas, and insights they offer to solve health care problems and spur
innovation.
Should work with clinicians and IT personnel to enhance the
development of software for storage and retrieval of information and
enhance provider-patient communication.
(Gee et. al., 2012)

13. References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ]. (2011). Electronic alerts, patient education, and performance reports improve adherence to guidelines designed to reduce early
elective inductions. Retrieved from www.innovations.ahrq.gov/content.aspx?id=3161.
Antheunis,M. Tates,K., Nieboer,T. (2013). Patients' and health professionals' use of social media in healthcare: Motives, barriers and expectations . Original Research article. Patient
Education and Counseling, 92(3), 426.
Barry, J. & Hardiker, N. (2012). Advancing nursing practice through social media: A global perspective. Online Journal of Nursing . 17. Online Journal of Nursing, 17, DOI:
10.3912/OJIN.Vol17No03Man05
Blumenthal, D. (2009) The federal role in promoting health information technology. The Commonwealth Fund, 2, Retrieved from www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications/Perspectives-
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CDC (2011). Social media tool kit.
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Cohen, R A, Stussman B. (2010). Health information technology use among men and women aged 18-64: Early release of estimates from the national health interview survey, January–
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Fox, S. (2011). The social life of health information, 2011. In Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Social-Life-of-Health-Info.aspx.
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