Social media is occasionally overlooked as a legitimate way to measure patient sentiment and health outcomes. However, early adopters who are on the leading edge of online sharing and collaboration have found that having a social presence can build loyalty and trust among their most important populations.

Many exciting changes are currently trending in the social media space. Let’s look at three that can have a positive impact on your future:

Engaging Younger Patients

We all know that people use social media to share their lives moment by moment. Their candidness includes personal health-related information about themselves, their friends, and family members. The 18-to-24 age group is especially open with what’s being shared on their social networks.

A study by Search Engine Watch reported that a full 90 percent of people under 24 would trust health information posted online by their friends. This is a key point for healthcare organizations and professionals who want to connect with younger patients who are still making decisions about their healthcare needs.

Collecting Patient Information

This trend is a game-changer for health informatics professionals as people become increasingly comfortable with sharing their health data online – with other patients, doctors, hospitals, and insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

Advancement of this trend into the public sector will make it easier to collect surveillance informatics on local, regional, and national health and wellness measures. This includes the spread of illnesses flu, food poisoning patterns, antibiotic-resistant bugs, and more.  Be sure to keep an eye on developments in this area if you are focusing your masters in health informatics on the public health sector.

Building Professional Networks

According to MedTechMedia, less than one-third of healthcare workers are using social media for professional reasons. This means that there is a lot of room to put yourself out there as a potential candidate for new opportunities.

Aside from LinkedIn and other professional networks, be sure to follow desirable employers on Facebook. The most socially savvy healthcare systems will have both a consumer Facebook page and an employment-specific Facebook presence.

You should also make a point to visit the career web sites of potential employers. Some will have the option for you to join their online talent networks, which is an excellent way to get notified of new jobs, web chats, and open house hiring events.

See on healthinformatics.uic.edu