Social media in travel medicine: a review

The use of social media is widespread and provides new opportunities for healthcare professionals and healthcare organisations to interact with patients, the public, policy makers, and each other. Social media offers the possibility of providing users with up-to-date information when, where, and how they want it, but it also brings with it some challenges. With increasing use of social media, there is potential to change the way travel medicine is delivered; practitioners should consider how to exploit the benefits in their practice, and not be afraid to experiment. However they need to be cognizant of the potential pitfalls. The information exchanged requires careful application as it may not always achieve the desired outcome, it needs to be monitored for quality, accuracy, and reliability, and confidentiality and privacy must be maintained. Most importantly, as social media becomes more sophisticated and widely adopted in the healthcare arena, further evaluation and research is required to understand its impact and its application to travel medicine.