Innovative patient care practices using social media.

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Informatics
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• Social media platforms are increasingly explored for healthcare applications.
• Understanding the landscape of social media in patient care is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and characterize the existing literature on social media applications used for patient care delivery.
• To identify trends, common platforms, and key themes in social media's role in healthcare.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Communication Abstracts) from 2004 to 2014.
• Search terms included variations of "social media" and "patient care."
• Peer-reviewed English articles were included, with additional review of abstracts from patientslikeme.com.

Main Results:

• 35 articles were included, predominantly cross-sectional studies from the United States.
• Facebook emerged as the most frequently studied social media platform.
• Key themes identified include overcoming barriers, patient empowerment, health promotion, research enhancement, and potential challenges.

Conclusions:

• Social media holds significant potential to bridge gaps and overcome barriers in healthcare delivery for both patients and practitioners.
• Critical concerns include maintaining patient privacy, data security, and the integrity of shared health information on these platforms.