Do EHRs And Social Media Mix?
By Katie Wike, contributing writer
Social media information exchanges might be user friendly, but are Facebook and Twitter the best place to share delicate medical records?
As social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter continue to grow in popularity, it’s natural to ask if there is a place for this type of platform in healthcare. EHR Intelligence does just that, writing, “Millions of people share the intimate details of their lives with their network of friends and acquaintances. They might complain of feeling nauseous after taking a new medication on Twitter, but not think it’s worth calling their doctor about, or post a picture of their swollen ankle after a fall without realizing they should be seeking medical attention for a sprain. Shouldn’t physicians pay attention to this copious and potentially valuable set of data?”
EHR Intelligence answers its own question, noting, “The business case for truly integrating patient information gleaned from social media hasn’t yet been convincingly made, nor have developers and big data specialists figured out how to separate the wheat from the chaff when combing through Instragram updates.”
They go on to note patient privacy remains a major stumbling block in utilizing social media in the healthcare industry, writing, “Providers would need to totally rethink how to collect and secure such data, and patients would need to be educated about what counts as protected personal health information (PHI) and what doesn’t. ‘Every tweet, blog comment, text message, and wall entry you and/or your organization colleagues upload or receive is a piece of content that, theoretically, should be reviewed and managed to ensure control, decorum and, perhaps, regulatory and records compliance,’ explains Deborah Kohn, MPH, RHIA, FACHE, CPHIMS, principal of Dak Systems Consulting.”
For The Record Magazine weighs in as well, writing that since physicians are using Facebook and Twitter to explore technology and benefits, it only make sense to use the same type of technology to communicate with and involve patients. The article quotes the Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) 2012 Health Research Institute report which found providers who “ignore the virtual environment could find themselves losing customers to competitors that do use social media to listen to and engage with consumers.”
John Edwards, a PwC spokesman is quoted as saying, “We gave examples of how hospitals are using social media, and they are not limiting their imaginations to just marketing and listening to people’s feedback about the company; they are starting to think about how to use social media for services and other aspects of their business.”
In response to the fact there was a 30 percent increase in social media use in hospitals from 2011 to 2012, Edwards said, “That is a pretty significant trend toward adopting social media, so it would suggest that hospitals are finding uses for social media as part of their strategies, and that it’s a growing trend.”
Jared Rhoads, senior research specialist with CSC’s Global Institute for Emerging Healthcare Practices told For The Record, “It stands to reason that there are tremendous opportunities for hospitals to tap into social media tools in order to get patients to become more engaged in their care. Information and data that are obtained or generated as a result of these interactions have a valid place in the patient record—as valid as nearly any other self-reported piece of information. But this is also relatively uncharted territory, and so best practices have not been widely established.”
Edwards predicts, “Maybe it’s baby steps. Maybe there are ways to think about select information harvested through a social media vehicle that would be useful. I think it would require prioritization and thinking carefully about what subsets make sense to enhance that business process.”
Patients and physicians alike could benefit from some adaption in EHR systems, and more user friendly ways of interacting would certainly increase patient involvement. This would make portals a more accepted way to access health records and aid providers in meeting MU requirements as well.