Use of social media is rising in the US healthcare industry. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are playing an important role in enhancing patient and community engagement. Social media sites are offering a platform for providers to share information related to healthcare, interact with patients, recruit staff and enhance the quality of care to a great extent.
Here are few statistics that show how social media sites are impacting the US healthcare industry:
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- According to a survey, approximately 60% doctors feel that social media can enhance the quality of patient care.
Many people are passive participants on social media, which means they are mostly involved in reading and observing healthcare content rather than creating the content or commenting on it. Most doctors make use of social media to find out what type of information is being shared by other healthcare providers. This helps them learn more and make efforts to enhance the quality of patient care.
- According to EMR Thoughts, social media is used by 2/3 of doctors for professional reasons. Compared to a physician-only online community, they prefer an open forum for participation.
This statistic is a clear indication that healthcare industry in the US is becoming more transparent due to social media.
- According to a survey conducted by Mashable, 22% parents seek medical answers through Facebook while 20% use YouTube.
As parents are becoming more and more worried about the well-being of their children, they are choosing social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to search for health-related topics.
- According to Demi & Cooper Advertising and DC Interactive Group, 26% of all the hospitals in the US participate in social media activities. 46% make use of YouTube, 12% use blogs, 64% use Twitter and 84% use Facebook to share information and engage with patients.
Since more than one third of consumers are regular visitors on sites like YouTube and Facebook, it has become essential for hospitals and private practices to explore and make the best use of these platforms.
- According to MedTechMedia, 31% healthcare professionals make use of social media sites to perform professional networking.
Through Twitter and LinkedIn, practices and billing companies are able to find skilled coders and billers. For instance, billing companies like Medical Billers and Coders are highly active on social media sites. MBC, the largest consortium of certified coders and billers has been making use of the social media platform to connect with potential as well as existing clients, hire skilled coders and billers and offer the latest industry news and updates.
Social media has had a major impact on physicians who run clinics, patients and healthcare organizations. While patients are using this platform to obtain health information, get educated, track personal progress and receive support, healthcare organizations are using social media to conduct community engagement activities, provide news and information, advertise new services and educate patients too. Providers are also taking advantage of social media to read medical articles, communicate with colleagues, networking and performing research on new medical developments.