Social media plays a crucial role in modern healthcare by promoting patient engagement, facilitating communication among professionals, and serving as a platform for health education and outreach. Its significance in healthcare delivery continues to grow as digital communication becomes increasingly integral to the industry's efforts to improve healthcare outcomes. Nonetheless, existing studies have not adequately and empirically explored its impact in less digitalized economies. Thus, this study seeks to investigate the impact of social media on healthcare delivery systems in a less digitalized economic context. Leveraging the social media engagement theory, the study employs a partial least squares (PLS-SEM) approach to explore the impact of social media in Ghana's healthcare system. Based on a purposely selected sample of 457 healthcare professionals from Ghana, the study found that using social media for crisis management, patient-doctor relationships, and information dissemination positively impacts healthcare systems. On the contrary, social media use for public relations activities did not have any significant impact on healthcare delivery. This study contributes to the growing literature on the affordances of social media in the circular economy towards improved healthcare delivery in emerging economies. The study offers a strategy for optimizing the use of social media within healthcare settings to foster enhanced healthcare outcomes, particularly a less digitalized economies. 

Reassessing the impact of social media on healthcare delivery: insights from a less digitalized economy

Healthcare professionals and patients are familiar with social media that is freely available and widely used for communication and monitoring in healthcare in recent years. Overall medical care has been delivered remotely through these telemedicine apps that have the best access to care for some populations, such as those in isolation, with limited access to specialist care and in rural areas. Further, monitoring patients in their homes and rural areas without easy access to healthcare services can improve the healthcare services of such individuals and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique opportunity to use and access such services. Telepharmacy service has been created and operated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This application has allowed patients to ask questions related to their health or medications, have online consultations, and allow patients to keep in touch with their pharmacists. Most healthcare professionals have identified social media as an excellent mode to offer and disseminate scientific and technological information among professionals in improving their knowledge and skills in healthcare. Even though social media has been identified as an excellent tool in patient education and management, still it has not gained the full trust of healthcare professionals or patients. Some healthcare professionals are hesitant to interact with patients due to the issues with ethical and professional dilemmas related to the privacy of patients and the possibility of publishing inappropriate information in addition to the cost, availability, technical requirements, patient, and healthcare professional acceptability. Even though the use of social media in telemedicine is well supported by evidence, the patient perspective on the transition from traditional healthcare delivery to telemedicine via social media has largely been ignored or less studied. Ignoring the patient-related factors can have a negative impact and may lead to reduced patient compliance and satisfaction, unless the use of technology in healthcare delivery is aligned with patient preferences and wishes as well as being accessible and intuitive to use. A well-established system with preset guidelines and procedures will minimize the complications associated with telemedicine. It is important to explain the procedure, its strengths, advantages, and limitations to the patients prior to the commencement of the teleconsultation. Some countries have included appropriate regulations and policies for the use of telemedicine as a healthcare delivery method and due attention has been given to social media as well. Maintenance of patient privacy is to be considered a top priority. Further research is required to investigate the optimal method to integrate social media-delivered telemedicine into the healthcare delivery systems. Properly planned educational programs targeting the patients and potential users of social media as a modality in telemedicine will help in reducing these misconceptions and will allow better use of it as an alternative. It will be beneficial to use the full potential of social media as a tool in telemedicine till a universally acceptable, cost-effective, user-friendly telemedicine application is developed. 

Role of social media in telemedicine

Medical and health products have become a part of our lives. A health-conscious society is the aftermath of the pandemic. The increasing role of technology has pushed people to online alternatives for medical services, progressing towards digital health. This research thus contributes to the nascent literature on the impact of mHealth apps and the consumption pattern in Bangalore in the post-pandemic scenario. This research investigates from the perspective of usage, privacy, and affordability of the mHealth apps. Results suggest that usage is positively affected by the affordability and privacy of these apps. Firstly, app developers could use the findings for different digital health marketing strategies and implementations for the mHealth app. Secondly, academics can look at other aspects such as the knowledge people possess regarding apps and their proficiency in accepting technology. Finally, the policy discussion makers can work on concerns of affordability and privacy to cater to the more significant population segment. 

Aiming at Digital Health via mHealth Application for Generation Y Post-Pandemic Scenario

Social media has significantly impacted the way medical professionals interact, collaborate, and share their perspectives. It has enhanced healthcare and medical education by facilitating knowledge exchange and fostering global networking. Social media platforms also serve as a virtual center for professionals to search for global work opportunities. They are powerful promotional tools for medical meetings and conferences, attracting attendees worldwide and encouraging collaboration. They provide access to diverse viewpoints, encouraging alternative approaches to healthcare challenges. This digital connection can lead to collaborative research partnerships, joint initiatives, and the exchange of best practices, creating a global network of subject matter experts. This chapter provides an overview of the benefits of social media platforms for medical practitioners in building a network. 

The Benefits of Social Media Platforms for Medical Practitioners

With the rapid advancement of technology, online health care services are becoming increasingly prominent. This study aims to investigate medical students' perceptions, attitudes, and readiness to adopt online health care services. 

Embracing the Future of Health Care: Investigating Medical Students’ Willingness to Become Online Doctors

Introduction: The widespread use of social media (SM) and medical applications (Apps) have improved the healthcare delivery and continued medical education in many forms, especially during COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore the perspective and practice of medical interns on the role of SM and medical Apps in delivering healthcare. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used to collect data via both semi-structured interviews and an online self-administered questionnaire. A total of 24 medical interns were interviewed (6 focus group discussions and 5 key informants’ interviews), while 889 interns completed the online questionnaire. Interviews and their transcripts were analyzed and presented as themes and subthemes and frequencies were obtained from the self-administered questionnaire using SPSS v. 28. Results: Our studied interns believed that SM and medical Apps in healthcare delivery should be activated and deployed more since they will be using it increasingly in the future. They considered medical Apps such as UpToDate and Medscape as reliable and valid sources of medical information. Participants agreed that official Saudi Ministry of Health medical Apps, Mawid and Seha (Sehhaty), made radical change in healthcare delivery during COVID-19 pandemic. Interns’ attitude toward using SM platforms in healthcare context changed during the pandemic as SM facilitated health promotion, sharing knowledge, and public health education. Nevertheless, interns discussed difficulties when health educating the public, and uncertainty regarding ethical and privacy aspects of communication with patients and colleagues via SM and medical Apps. Discussion/Conclusion: Medical interns’ use of SM and medical Apps for medical education and patient care is increasing. Overall, interns have a positive attitude toward the role SM and medical Apps can play in healthcare delivery; nevertheless, they were uncertain about related ethical and privacy issues.

https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/521635

Social Media and Medical Applications in the Healthcare Context: Adoption by Medical Interns

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine involves the use of electronic communication and technology to remotely deliver clinical services to patients. With the increase in the adoption of telemedicine in healthcare delivery, “webside healthcare” is becoming the virtual analog of bedside care. The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has recently established the use of telemedicine, including social media (SM) and medical applications (Apps) to enhance the quality and accessibility of healthcare services to patients and healthcare providers. In the present study, we evaluated medical interns' perception of the use of telemedicine, SM, and medical Apps in patient care, their awareness of related guidelines to find out if targeted training is needed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative study recruited and interviewed, through semi-structured key informant (KI) interviews and focus group discussions (FGD), a total of 24 male and female medical interns. The Interns were purposefully sampled from all Saudi Arabia's 5 main geographical regions until data saturation was observed. The transcripts of five KI interviews and 6 FGDs done were thematically analyzed and are presented as themes and subthemes. RESULTS: Medical interns discussed the advantages and disadvantages related to telemedicine, SM, and medical Apps in healthcare services. Overall, interviewees appreciated the role telemedicine, SM, and medical Apps play in the healthcare and for such particular specialties as family medicine and (tele-) psychiatry. However, the interns believed that training on the technical operational aspects of different telemedicine modalities with an emphasis on targeted education for related ethical and legal regulating guidelines was vital. CONCLUSION: Most interviewed medical interns had a positive perception of telemedicine and were willing to use it in their daily clinical practice. However, there were some challenges to its successful implementation such as prompt training on its proper use and clear ethical and legal guidance.

“Webside” healthcare from medical interns' perspective: Telemedicine implementation and need for training

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Social Media and Medical Applications in the Healthcare Context: Adoption by Medical Interns

“Webside” healthcare from medical interns' perspective: Telemedicine implementation and need for training