Social Media in Healthcare
The use of social media in healthcare can be beneficial or risky depending on how it is used and how compliance with healthcare regulations is monitored. However, the compliant use of social media in healthcare does not necessarily guarantee benefits. Healthcare organizations should take this into account when developing a social media strategy.
Before discussing the advantages and disadvantages of social media in healthcare, it is worth mentioning the effectiveness of social media for healthcare organizations. This is because there is some misinformation on the Internet about how social media can be a cost-effective marketing solution for the healthcare industry that builds a positive brand image and drives patient engagement.
A reliable source of information about the effectiveness of social media is RivalIQ’s Annual Benchmark Report which breaks down social media effectiveness by industry and explains what works and what doesn’t. For the purposes of the Benchmark Report, the health industry is combined with the beauty industry – making the results appear much better than if the health industry was analyzed by itself.
In its summary of the combined category, the report notes the struggle to attract, retain, and engage followers. It also dismisses Facebook and Twitter/X as viable social media channels for health and beauty due to their poor engagement rates. For example, for each 10,000 people that see a post on Twitter/X, only one will engage with the post. The report does not comment on whether engagements are positive.
Data of this nature not only helps healthcare organizations identify where best to have a presence on social media, but also whether it is worth having any presence on social media at all. It appears that the claims of social media being a cost-effective marketing solution for the healthcare industry are optimistic. However, there still can be some benefits of using social media in healthcare.
The Benefits of Social Media in Healthcare
While social media might not be a solution for cost-effective marketing, the are several ways healthcare organizations can utilize social media to benefit members of the public, hire and train members of the workforce, and improve commercial operations .
Sharing General Information with the Public
In May 2024, Forbes published the results of a survey on how Internet searches varied by age. According to the report, almost half of Gen Z adults search for goods and services via social media platforms rather than using traditional Internet search engines. Although the percentage declines for “local services”, there is still a significant proportion of the population that rely on social media for general information.
This implies that healthcare organizations should have some presence on social media with general information such as the opening times of the organization, what services are offered, and where the organization is located. It can also be beneficial to include a link to the organization’s website and/or a text messaging service, or a phone number that members of the public can call for further information.
Communicating Public Health Information
Despite having a low engagement rate, Twitter/X was the most searched source for information at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Users not only wanted to access news about the virus, but also find out how they could protect themselves and their families. Healthcare organizations are considered to be trustworthy sources, and their posts were the most viewed and shared among peers.
During non-emergency times, healthcare organizations can utilize social media to share health information, improve public health literacy, and encourage members of the public to take more responsibility for their wellbeing. YouTube is by far the most popular social media platform for “how to” and “what is” searches related to healthcare, and some healthcare organizations attract tens of thousands of subscribers.
Workforce Hiring, Training, and Compliance
One of the consequences of younger generations using social media as their source of information is that some healthcare organizations have started advertising workforce vacancies on various platforms. Social media can also be utilized to complete the recruitment process, or to create groups in which trainee members of the workforce can ask questions or support each other through training.
It can also be beneficial to have social media channels dedicated to healthcare compliance. These channels can be used to alert members of the workforce to regulatory changes or to explain the changes via – for example – a YouTube video. Depending on what proportion of the workforce use social media, and how training is documented, this can be a cost-effective alternative to classroom training.
Research Competitors and Improve Quality
There are some healthcare organizations who believe the hype about how social media can be a cost-effective marketing solution for the healthcare industry. When they find out it is not, rather than switch their marketing efforts to a more effective channel of communication, they tend to increase their output – sometimes revealing future innovations in an attempt to gain followers or prompt engagement.
Healthcare organizations wise to this desperation can follow the social media accounts of competitors in order to gain insights into future innovations and improve the quality of their own services. It can also help healthcare organizations learn from the mistakes of their competitors and improve the output of their own social media channels, change platforms, or distance themselves from social media completely.
The Risks of Social Media in Healthcare
While there can be benefits of social media in healthcare, there can also be risks. The biggest risks are unauthorized disclosures of Protected Health Information, but further risks include inconsistent and inaccurate messaging.
Corporate Disclosures of Health Information
In most cases, corporate disclosures of health information on social media are de-identified (i.e., “we treated fifty patients this week for BBQ burns”) or are authorized (i.e., “Gemma is the fist baby born in our maternity unit this year”). In addition, photos taken of healthcare facilities are usually absent of patients or have patients’ faces pixilated so the patients cannot be identified.
However, complaints can be made to HHS’ Office of Civil Rights when the identities of patients are accidentally or thoughtlessly disclosed on a social media platform. If the disclosures are found to be impermissible disclosures of Protected Health Information, HHS’ Office for Civil Rights can take enforcement action. The following are examples of the penalties that can be applied for social media HIPAA violations.
- In 2019, a dental practice in Dallas, TX, settled a complaint from a patient for $10,000 after disclosing their Protected Health Information on social media.
- In 2022, a dental practice in Charlotte, NC, was fined $50,000 for the same violation. The penalty was increased for failing to cooperate with the investigation.
Workforce Disclosures of Health Information
Impermissible workforce disclosures of health information tend not to occur when a healthcare organization is sharing general information with the public or communicating public health information. Typically, workforce disclosures of health information on social media tend to be knowing and willful attempts to humiliate a patient that not only violate healthcare regulations but also the employer’s privacy policies.
In such scenarios, the impermissible disclosures are notified to HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, sanctioned internally (i.e., suspension or termination of contract) and reported to law enforcement and licensing authorities. There are many examples of workforce members being prosecuted for impermissible disclosures of health information on social media. The following is just a small selection.
- A nurse aide employed in a New York rehabilitation center was found to have posted an image of a resident’s genitals on Snapchat. The nurse aide was fired, required to surrender his CNA certificate, and sentenced to one year conditional discharge with 100 hours of community service.
- Two 19-year-old nursing home assistants were fired from an Illinois care center after it was discovered that one had videoed the other mistreating a resident. The video was posted on social media. Both were fined $500, ordered to do 100 hours of community service, and given two years’ probation.
- A nursing assistant from Kenosha, WI, was fired from her job at an assisted living center for posting a video of a semi-naked patient with Alzheimer’s on Snapchat “for a laugh”. The woman was charged with capturing an image of nudity without consent and sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Inconsistent Messaging on Social Media Platforms
Other than the risks of unauthorized disclosures, one of the biggest risks to patient safety is inconsistent messaging. As mentioned above, healthcare organizations are considered to be trustworthy sources, but public trust can diminish if an organization’s social media output is contradictory (i.e., contrary to advice published by CDC) or periodic (i.e., long gaps between flurries of posts).
Inconsistent messaging can also occur when social media accounts are maintained by different units within the same healthcare organization (i.e., dentistry, pediatrics, etc.). If one unit posts health advice that conflicts with the health advice posted by another unit, this can also diminish public trust and potentially place patients at risk if they misinterpret advice published for other patients with specific health conditions.
Inaccurate Output Created by Artificial Intelligence
Although there are many practical uses for AI in healthcare, creating social media output is not one of them. AI engines such as ChatGPT and Gemini mine information from publicly available online sources such as Facebook, Reddit, and Quora – which are generally inaccurate sources of medical information. Repeating inaccuracies in AI-generated social media posts could further risk patient safety.
There are many examples of inaccurate advice being generated by AI engines due to the source of the mined information or how it has been interpreted. Therefore, although AI can be a useful tool for generating ideas for social media posts – and the pictures that accompany them – all content published on social media platforms should be humanly created and reviewed for accuracy and compliance.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media in Healthcare
Leaving aside the use of social media for marketing purposes (as it can work for some organizations, but will be an expensive waste of resources for most), the advantages and disadvantages of social media in healthcare can be summarized as follows:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Sharing General Information with the Public | Corporate Disclosures of Health Information |
| Communicating Public Health Information | Workforce Disclosures of Health Information |
| Workforce Hiring, Training, and Compliance | Inconsistent Messaging on Social Media Platforms |
| Research Competitors and Improve Quality | Inaccurate Output Created by Artificial Intelligence |
With regards to workforce disclosures of health information, impermissible disclosures of Protected Health Information on social media can happen whether an organization has a social media strategy for healthcare or not. For example, a nurse could discuss a patient’s care with friends in a private Facebook group using a home PC. For this reason, it is important all members of the workforce receive training on the organization’s social media policy.
Regulation in Healthcare and Social Media
Regulation in healthcare and social media goes beyond HIPAA compliance. Healthcare organizations must also make sure social media posts do not violate Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, industry licensing or accreditation standards, and any applicable state or local laws. Workforce members must also take care not to violate §1177 of the Social Security Act.
There are also ethical considerations to take into account with regards to healthcare and social media. Patients and the general public expect high standards from healthcare organizations and healthcare professionals. If any social media output is perceived as inconsistent, inaccurate, or unethical, it could damage the reputation of the organization and the trust patients have in their healthcare providers.
Developing a Social Media Strategy for Healthcare
To overcome these risks, healthcare organizations that want to take advantage of the benefits of social media in healthcare should develop a social media strategy for healthcare that plans consistent messaging in advance. The strategy needs to be sufficiently flexible to respond to comments that may change the direction of the plan, and to react to public health emergencies at short notice.
Other considerations for a social media strategy for healthcare include goal planning, deciding which platforms will help best achieve the goals, and compliance audits. Healthcare organizations that need help developing a social media strategy for healthcare are advised to speak with a compliance professional with experience of using social media in healthcare.
