How to Use Media and Social Networking Effectively in Public Health Settings

Social media and networking sites are being quickly integrated into more and more parts of our lives, including aspects of health care. Social media has a great connecting power; it can draw people together and allow collaboration across the world. Within the healthcare arena, social media and networking sites will help promote collaboration between patients and the rest of the medical industry. This is demonstrated through the rise in healthcare websites such as Realmentalhealth.com, Dailystrength.org, WebMD message boards, and the CDC engage the full range of social networking sites such as Facebook, twitter, and other social media networks.

Social networking hinges on one key concept: information sharing. The security and privacy risks associated with social networking hinge on one key concept: information handling. These two concepts can often times seem at odds with each other, securely handling information often times means putting a limit on sharing. However, within the social media world they can coexist.

Federal and state privacy and security laws impose strict requirements on organizations handling sensitive data on individuals such as Protected Health Information (PHI) / Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Implementing social media in a way that promotes security and privacy is not impossible but security and privacy must be designed into the program before a social networking site account is even created. Information handling policies and procedures must be designed to ensure that social media sites be utilized to their greatest potential while also ensuring that information on the site is protected.