The days when doctors were seen as only people capable of making treatment choices on behalf of patients are now long gone. The growing humans’ health needs coupled with the explosion of information have made the work of healthcare professional to be more challenging. The pace is incredible that healthcare providers will not be able to comprehend all the clinical aspects let alone the human body. This factor is the primary and sole reason as to why most of the physicians will refer some cases to other specialists in various fields (Nelson, 2016). Also, these referrals are happening due to the many details required to understand and keep track of a particular person. These cases have made patients to take proactive approaches to keep tabs on their health and physicians. This is where e-patients comes in as a valuable resource that equips, empowers and engages people in their healthcare choices. E-patient is coined around the assumption that healthcare is a 50/50 partnership between health professionals and patients and the systems that facilitate their partnership. E-patients has been achieved due to technological progress, and governmental policies and legislation.
The internet revolution has availed many opportunities, allowing large-scale discussions on contentious issues like health management in various online communities. Many people worldwide have access to the internet, including Twitter and Facebook (Nelson, 2016). E-patients use smartphone and computers together with the internet to track, understand and manage their health conditions. Social media and blogs enable people to communicate as well as share ideas and even provide advice to others who are far beyond. For instance, a study conducted in the UK found that 59% and 50% of women and men respectively used the internet to search for health-related information. Another study found that in 2018, 56% and 46% of Americans utilized websites and smartphones respectively to manage their health (Bizcommunity.com, 2019). With this partnership, doctors’ roles have become more of educating and partnering in providing healthcare.
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Both the federal and state policies have been at the forefront of advancing e-patient health services. The implementation of electronic medical records, mobile electronic systems, and telemedicine have enhanced the people’s health outcomes as well as empowered them to take control of their health conditions. Government health initiatives have been on the frontline in digitizing health care programs which have been evident in various applications. For instance, the South African government launched MomConnect, a mobile app that provides online resources to pregnant women (Bizcommunity.com, 2019). Other countries worldwide are also introducing new and improved policies to fill the gap of the digital divide by availing free public Wi-Fi and hospital websites to allow healthcare consumers with online health information.
The e-patient program has received significant support from people whose personal health stories have moved many emotionally. Through their famous slogan ‘Give me my damn data,’ the e-patient ambassadors believe that the only way for health professionals to cure diseases is to let patients help. One of the examples of e-patients is David deBronkart who was diagnosed with stage IV, Grade 4renal cell carcinoma and was only given 24 weeks to live (Nelson, 2016). David remains a driving force for e-patients demanding for empowerment and engagement of patients in their health. According to David, if he had no access to his medical records and information about healthcare options, he would not have survived. Another example of the driving force behind the e-patient movement is another story by Regina Holliday who said that her husband could have received suitable healthcare if he had access to his medal records (Nelson, 2016). Just like David, Regina has become a vocal voice that has impacted on e-patients.
Social networking such as social media platforms has been on the frontline to make sure that e-patient movement is a success and remains effective. These platforms offer convenient web-based communication tools that are always effective and interactive. The tools promote dialogues between health providers and e-patients as well. The use of social media applications can be well utilized by hospital personnel to promote more significant interaction among healthcare providers and e-patients (Nelson, 2016). For instance, hospitals can employ the use of Facebook for marketing and public relations while allowing e-patients to send their questions as voice notes and opinions to other e-patients and health professionals. The challenge that was facing the health providers was updating and posting on social media which was time-consuming. This challenge made them shift to applications that display the same content on different social media platforms at the same time (Hamm et al., 2013). This shows how technology has played a part in the growth of the e-patient movement.
Different studies have been conducted to estimate and establish the current and potential use as well as users of social media in healthcare. It has been found that most of the hospitals have access to mobile application capabilities on their websites. Despite claims that mobile communication is highly evident in young adults and teenagers, rapid growth is expected for these tools in all ages in the coming years. This growth will also contribute significantly to e-health and e-patient movement (Nelson, 2016). It was also found that adults of ages 18-49 are more likely to participate in e-health programs than any other age group. Since young adults are more likely to face health challenges and are always seeking advice about their health, then they are more likely to go to the internet to gather advice as well as share health information with their friends and relatives. They are the largest part of e-patients all over the world.
Despite the e-health posing many advantages, it also has some disadvantages that are associated with the use of social media in healthcare. One of the obstacles includes poor quality of information. This is the main challenge related to social media as well as other online sources; lack of quality and reliable information. The authors of information found on social media platforms are mostly unknown and their background not known (Hamm et al., 2013). The other challenge is damage to a professional image. Posting of unprofessional content on the internet is more likely to damage the image of HCPs, students and other licensed health providers. Most people tend, and this can be of damage to health providers. The other disadvantage of using e-health is that it breaches patient privacy which means that posting and sharing the health status of a person is violating the law against patients which can get one in trouble with the state privacy laws.
As much as there are social media platforms for patients and doctors to present and express themselves, policies are required to ensure only quality information and services are available. Social media users should adhere to and be guided by these policies. For instance, if one participates in social media as a company, then they need to make sure that they use the company website while posting comments and participating in online discussions. They also need to stick to their area of specialization for the information to the credible. It is also advisable to post meaningful and respective comments.
Moreover, the rules of engagement should be followed and adhered to. Number one rule is always to be transparent since honesty and dishonesty will be noticeable in the social media platform (Schmitt, Sims-Giddens, & Booth, 2012). It is also wise to be judicious, in the sense that the need to be transparent and honest should not violate the rights and privacy for others. Finally, it is always proper and advisable to write what you know. This means that one should only post matters relating to the areas that they are best to avoid harming someone's health in the process.
References
Nelson, R. (2016). Informatics: Empowering ePatients to Drive Health Care Reform. Online journal of issues in nursing, 21(3), 9-9.
Hamm, M. P., Chisholm, A., Shulhan, J., Milne, A., Scott, S. D., Given, L. M., &Hartling, L. (2013). Social media use among patients and caregivers: a scoping review. BMJ open, 3(5), e002819.
Schmitt, T. L., Sims-Giddens, S. S., & Booth, R. G. (2012). Social media use in nursing education. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(3).
Bizcommunity.com. (2019). Introducing the e-patient. Medical Technology News South Africa. Retrieved on 17 April 2019, from https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/159/189355.html
