In this age and era of technological development and the utilization of social media as a communication tool, sectors in different business are looking for ways to use social media to expedite the work systems and processes.
The need to connect with patients and utilize IT in improving the quality and delivery of care has been debated in the higher echelons of health management.
As stated by Jennifer Bresnick (2013), social media as a tool, is being discussed to integrate the social media concepts into the collection and usage of electronic health record (EHR) data.
The intent is to engage the patients effectively and since the software systems i.e. PHR provide patients with ability to store and access their health information through personal health records.
The social media can be utilized to provide access to patients on a more personal level and rather than going through an online system they can connect with social media anytime. Some PHRs are linked to EHRs while some are stand-alone (Kim Ball, 2014).
Besides engagement, social media will in essence empower the patients and can be utilized to build an online community to share details and improve the knowledge flow.
In view of the social media and its relevance to HS 220 or HIM, it can be argued that since they are dealing with the data and record management the integration with social media will be relevant and it can be gauged from the below mentioned statistics of the usage of IT and digital media in healthcare.
72% of adults use social media in U.S until May 2013, physicians spend twice as much time using online resources compared to print, and Facebook is the fourth most popular source of health information in UK (IMS institute, 2014).
With the usage of smart phones and social media as a communication tool on the rise, the role of social media in EHR & PHR is bound to be active and dynamic.
Works Cited
IMS Institute for Health Informatics (2014). Engaging patients through social media. Is health care ready for empowered and digitally demanding patients? Retrieved from http://www.imshealth.com/deployedfiles/imshealth/Global/Content/Corporate/IMS%20Health%20Institute/Reports/Secure/IIHI_Social_Media_Report_2014.pdf
Jennifer, B (2013). What is the role of social media in electronic health records? Accountable Care. EHR Intelligence. Retrieved from
http://ehrintelligence.com/2013/08/22/what-is-the-role-of-social-media-in-electronic-health-records/
Kim, B (2014). Health Information Technology. American Medical Association (AMA). Retrieved from http://www.ama-cmeonline.com/health_it/ama_health_it_transcript.pdf
Video Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqosoZHMq5g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyK2paGYEgI
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