How Has the Internet Affected the Healthcare Industry? Part 1

The Internet is a place with millions of web pages and you can find information on almost anything you want; including health care. Social media can be used as a tool for discussing health care problems, or for generally obtaining advice. From the comfort of your own home, whether you are in Hollywood or Orlando, you can go online and look up information on a particular ailment you may have. There are also websites that have physicians to answer questions regarding an illness, along with numerous online drug stores. The Internet is changing some of the ways medicine is practiced. More than 70 million Americans use the web to look for information about health care for themselves or a family member through health care SEO.

Online Health Records and Prescription Services

Many health care providers now allow people to access their personal health record over the Internet. They allow patients to look at their health history and manage their own health record. It allows people to review their current medication, lab reports and family medical history. Some sites allow patients to make appointments with their doctor through the Internet. These websites are very popular and healthcare SEO is used to attract as many people as possible to these health care providers. As well as being able to access a medical record online, there are now numerous health care providers that offer online prescription services. Prescriptions can be delivered directly to your home. This makes it especially easy for people who have trouble leaving their home to pick up a prescription at the store.

Social Media and Healthcare

Health care problems are no longer private matters discussed with a select few. Many people are now discussing their health problems on social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter. Over 70% of patients search for their illness or their symptoms online, before or after visiting a doctor. Many hospitals or doctors’ offices use social media and online marketing to engage with their patients. This has proved highly successful for patients who go online before visiting their doctor and get an idea of the kind of questions they want to ask.

Recruitment and Raising Awareness

Recruitment for jobs in the health care industry has risen over the last few years. Many jobs with specialist needs now advertise their job vacancies via social media websites such as LinkedIn. The jobs are usually for people under 30, so the ads are aimed towards the younger, media savvy population through social media marketing. The Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Florida has over 1000 followers on Twitter and more on Facebook. They have an advantage in the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) over other hospitals due to their use of social media networks and online marketing.

Many websites also raise awareness about health problems or pregnancies. You can find copious amounts of information online regarding what to expect when you’re pregnant or what the symptoms and side effects of chemotherapy will be. Such sites as these allow users to become educated about their condition from the comfort of their own home.

Internet Information Is Not Always Accurate

The major concern of any type of medical information website is that the information is not always accurate. It is important that you only access sites that are reputable and always seek an opinion from a doctor in person. You may log on to a site and express your symptoms and they could be similar to a different illness and you may be given the wrong information. So although the Internet has influenced health care in many ways, always check with a qualified doctor too; don’t just rely on social networks.

Published by Axiom Health Care Marketing