Social media is increasingly used in healthcare for customer service, community outreach, education, and public relations. Hospitals use platforms like YouTube and Twitter, but must consider HIPAA privacy laws and managing professional online identities. Patient support groups on Facebook have been created by some hospitals, including the University of Maryland Medical Center, to provide a restricted space for patients to connect over shared health topics and experiences in a moderated environment. These groups see varying levels of engagement from members discussing health issues and organizing offline meetups.

1. Social Media in Healthcare Overview and Current Realities Ed Bennett University of Maryland Medical System e-Patient Connections Philadelphia, PA | September 20, 2011

3. Hospital Social Media Types

4. Rapid Growth: YouTube and Twitter

5. Hospital Values Social Media Values Risk averse Risk taking Information from authoritative sources Network Reputation Privacy and security regulated Anyone can publish anything Data tightly controlled Information freely distributed Tight intellectual property Use licenses with few restrictions

13. Ed Bennett Director, Web & Communications Technology University of Maryland Medical System Phone: 410-328-0771 Email: ebennett@umm.edu / ed@ebennett.org Web: umm.edu - ebennett.org Twitter: @edbennett Presentation and resource links: http://ebennett.org/ePatientConnections