Digital Healthcare is about data and communication. And if data collection, processing and putting it into use have been much discussed, communication within the industry remains a less discussed topic.What types of social platforms can be built in digital healthcare? What purposes do they serve? And how can they be leveraged by medicine professionals and patients?

Social Networks & Healthcare: Use Cases 

Social networking projects have become an integral part of our lives, from the biggest ones like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, with which many people start their day, to more specialized networks in particular domains. Work, hobby, family affairs – any type of human interactions is covered by a dedicated social platform. 

The same concerns healthcare. A study published in 2011 by Pew Internet Project showed, that 56% of people used the Internet to find information about treatments or procedures. 44% of users looked for health professionals online, and 36% tried to find information on hospitals or other medical institutions.

In healthcare, there are different levels of communication, and each of these levels can be supported and enhanced by social network development. Similarly, there are issues to pay stringent attention to when envisaging such a project. 

Patient – Physician 

Today patients are more involved into their treatment process than ever before. They demand access to their treatment plans, show willingness in discussing it with specialists, want to stay in touch with their physician 24/7 – and digital technologies allow them to do so.

A survey conducted by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), showed: 65% of the surveyed millennials and 43 percent of all the surveyed adults feel it is appropriate to contact their physician about a health issue through social media either by posting on their page or direct messaging them.

Patient’s greater engagement in their healthcare decision-making process is a bright trend in the connected healthcare solutions today. So is their widespread use of social media, involved in physician-patient interactions.And though a giant like Facebook remains the first choice for such communication, there are some more specialized options, involving virtual consultations and wards, connecting remote places and people through web cameras and other online technologies.

What are the aims of communication between the patient and the physician?

Transmitting data to medical specialists

Currently, one of the best, and most advanced ways to answer that need are applications like Medopad or VideoDoc. Such point of care systems allow patients to transmit data to medical professionals and receive care or even conduct consultation in real time. Among older and simpler tools, we can find products like Docplanner, which aids in finding nearby medical help, using geographic location. 

Another example is Zocdoc – the approach is similar, but in this case, you can actually seek help even when you don’t know what exactly is happening to you, by typing in your symptoms.  

Interconnecting health service providers

Networks are built for healthcare providers who get listed after paying a fee. From now on,  patients can find in-network physicians, read and submit reviews about them, and book appointments online. No wonder that this type of social platform is gaining momentum: 77% of patients use online reviews as their first step in finding a new doctor.

ZocDoc, Vitals, CareDash – these are some of the most popular healthcare specialists review websites, with large networks of physicians.

Seeing a doctor via an app

Telemedicine is on the rise! Online consultations and eVisits is part of the trend – but not too widespread yet. A study conducted by the Health Affairs academic journal shows that only 15.4 percent of physicians use telemedicine in their work.

And that is a sad point, given a practical value and other advantages of telemedicine. Patients get in touch with their physician at the tap of a button, through their smartphone or computer. Advanced systems like VideoDoc allow a patient to receive a discharge summary, containing a physician’s review and prescription details.

Physician – Physician

Social networks for doctors provide an excellent tool for its members to share their knowledge and get assistance in their practice. Though there are special platforms dedicated to other groups of healthcare specialists, like nurses or MD students, physicians’ platforms are the most well-known ones.

The most popular ones among them, like SERMO or Doximity, have tens of thousands of members and have obtained a truly global reach. They are promoting the idea of ‘virtual doctors’ lounge’ – only credentialed doctors can get registered there and communicate with each other. A member can ask real-time questions and receive answers from colleagues from all over the globe.

Other popular platforms, like QuantiaMD, focus more on learning and collaboration, aimed at sharing knowledge between specialists. More specific platforms include Figure1 (for sharing images of patient ailments to get advised by other physicians) or Incision Academy (allowing surgeons to share their techniques and skills).

Patient – Patient

Social networks help build virtual communities of patients, which can be equally important as providing thought-through treatment. It is especially true in cases of chronic or hardly treatable diseases.
Nearly 40 percent of young people (ages 14 to 22) have used online tools, to try to connect with other people who have similar health challenges. That includes social media groups.

That connection can have real benefits for patients. A report published in the journal Surgery created a Facebook group for 350 liver transplant patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers. A full 95 percent of survey respondents said that joining the group had been positive for their care. Within app development for startups, such projects can bring about incredible benefits for patients.

Facebook groups are also a great place for healthcare professionals and patients to interact. Those interactions can include patient support and education. Given a delicate nature of these groups and  privacy concerns when discussing health online, there is a growing number of Facebook secret groups, which do not show up in search results. Within app development for startups, such projects can bring about incredible benefits for patients.

The same goes for the other types of social networking projects launched in the healthtech sphere. They bring about positive changes in the medicines’ practice and patients’ wellbeing. With a boom of innovative projects in the healthcare and the digitalization of the whole industry, investing into such projects can pay off in the nearest perspective.