Dr. Ryan Shelton Discusses 5 Ways Social Media Has Helped Healthcare Workers During the Pandemic
By Adam
In the past, communication with those who were ill, especially during a pandemic, required personal contact. Nowadays, says Dr Ryan Shelton, the range of social media platforms has become limitless and has been used to help healthcare workers communicate more efficiently with their patients through various methods.
There are many examples on social media platforms where healthcare providers have used them to diagnose possible diseases quickly. For example, Dr. Neha Mehta of Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center diagnosed a patient using nothing but what he saw from a simple selfie posted on Facebook. In addition to diagnosis – doctors have also been able to check on progress by viewing pictures of patients uploaded on Instagram.
Health care workers have also used Facebook to keep family members informed of their loved ones’ status. Providing real-time updates is very convenient for friends and family members who are not in the area or unable to make a personal visit.
Here are five ways social media has helped healthcare workers during the pandemic.
Distance Diagnosis
Doctors can diagnose a patient by just looking at their picture on social media sites. We share a wealth of information about ourselves online. Sometimes this might be information we neglect to tell a doctor, such as a trip we took somewhere or an activity we might not have thought was relevant.
According to Dr Ryan Shelton, some doctors are now using social media to map a timeline of patient activities or complaints about symptoms that they might not have been aware of. For example, a patient might start complaining of more severe symptoms weeks after returning from a trip to the Caribbean.
Instant Diagnosis
Doctors can make real-time diagnoses by viewing pictures of patients uploaded on Instagram. This is a great way for someone not in the area to view and confirm what they’re seeing.
A doctor diagnosed a patient just by triaging her symptoms from Facebook and other social media sites. Not only that, but he ensured she had access to medicines due to her financial situation.
In some situations, doctors have used Instagram to check up on how others are responding to medication which is helpful when considering whether or not certain medications will work on a patient with similar symptoms as others who have been tested successfully before them.
Keeping Patients & Families Informed
Healthcare workers have used social media to keep family members informed of their loved ones’ status. Many people would rather not know all of the details about an ill family member if it means they are uncomfortable with the situation. Using Facebook allows friends and family members who are not in the area or unable to make a personal visit and peace of mind by quickly seeing updates firsthand.
Since information is so freely available on these sites, many doctors now use health websites and social media sites to help create a timeline for their patients. Creating this timeline allows them to check symptoms and …read more
Source:: Social Media Explorer
