Social media is a two-way street, unlike the regular media, where you have only limited options of voicing your opinion, the new media affords you the power off instant communication.
Increasing Popularity
With increasing popularity and easy access to various devices that connect people to the internet an increasingly large number of people are turning to the various social networks for healthcare related information.Health Care Providers
Members of public want to evaluate the doctors as well as health care providers, social media is mostly used as an avenue for entertainment to connect in a light-hearted manner, serious applications comprise of associating with reputed groups on professional networks.
The Implications
Another crucial application of social media these days is with respect to the healthcare sector which could well have positive or negative connotations and implications, be it twitter, facebook, LinkedIn or Youtube.Informed Choices
For one a paradigm shift is being witnessed from making informed consent to informed choices when one arrives at medical decisions. It is the best place to showcase and inform the public at large about improved surgical equipments, an integral part of medical jobs in India to other technological advances that have revolutionised the sector.
Final Thoughts
This acts as a double-edged sword, it can work to one’s advantage or disadvantage, depending on how you harness the potential of the medium, while keeping the legal aspects in mind and the compliance factor in consideration, fire it is said is a good servant but a bad master, a medium is only as good or as bad as you make it to be.
