The healthcare industry is experiencing revolutionary changes stemming from the rapidly shifting role of the patient within the care model. This is resulting in demand for easier access to healthcare professionals, access to online medical information and alternatives to contain costs and improve the quality of care. Innovations in social media and collaborative technologies provide healthcare organizations with the ability to disperse information quickly and appeal to individuals who are seeking cost-effective healthcare services.
Many have advocated for increased use of social media and collaborative tools in the practice of healthcare as a result. However, healthcare social media advocates have been criticized for the lack of privacy and the partial picture of the patient that online interaction provide. They argue that such a model would limit the quality of care. However, new technologies are rapidly filling the current void to extend these social media channels into a private, communication-rich online environment where patients and doctors can interact.
Download our new white paper, “Responding to Healthcare Consumerism: How Social Media & Collaborative Tools are Transforming Healthcare Delivery“ to learn more about this topic. You can also visit our Collaboration page on the healthcare microsite for even more content on this topic.
