Healthcare is changing! One in three American adults have used social media to research medical conditions according to the Pew 
Research Center. Social media may be defined as “tools used to store and deliver information or data disseminated through social interaction”.
The Mayo Clinic has embraced social media because “our patients are doing it, so this is where we need to be.” For an example, on Twitter, patients and caretakers can openly discuss posts by using specific hashtags, such as #bcsm (breast cancer social media), #btsm (brain tumor social media) and #ayacsm (adolescent and young adult cancer societal movement). Facebook and online forums have allowed patients and caretakers to communicate and share their experiences with one another. Social media is more than just Twitter or Facebook posts, it includes all socially interactive information exchange such as blogs, YouTube videos, and instant messages.
Mark Twain once said, “It’s not the progress I mind, it’s the change I don’t like.” Change is often the crux of the matter in dealing with research. The Mayo Clinic’s recent pilot study on clinical trial patient recruitment using social media and online networks helped researchers assemble large and demographically diverse patient groups more quickly and less expensively than they could through other means.
We live in an era where social media innovations and the widespread use of the Internet have greatly evolved in how we communicate and how we integrate and use data.
Healthcare executives will get together to discuss how to use data to advance research and improve outcomes at the Oracle Industry Connect, an event that will take place on March 25 and 26 at the Washington Hilton in D.C.
Stop by to meet our dynamic team of Health Sciences experts at the Partner Networking Zone at #OracleIC15 kiosk #108.
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