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A look to 2012…
Eweek.com released an interesting article today, containing suggestions of what will be the main focuses and trends within healthcare next year. I was mainly drawn to the discussion concerning social media where I found some interesting ideas on the subject. There appears to be some concerns that with social media becoming more popular within the industry, privacy and security could be compromised. This is according to a report by consulting firm PwC’s Health Research Institute.
With more and more people engaging in social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter, more and more data is being collected and shared within and across different organisations. The report suggests that with this rise, the efforts to secure data and ensure patient privacy will become increasingly complicated.
However, the report also acknowledged how social media could be an excellent way to communicate and inform. Focussing on health informatics, it is suggested that professional collection of data could bring some positive health outcomes. An increasing number of organisations are utilising social media for patient education, for creating a feeling of connectedness for their patients and for simple things like announcements and getting real time feedback through social media outlets based on patient care experience. Companies also use social media to keep the public posted on special health care bulletins, such as flu season and allergy counts. Of consumers surveyed, 60 percent were comfortable with their personal health information being shared among providers if it would bring greater collaboration in care which suggests that privacy and confidentiality is less important than gaining information to some users.
The report also touches on technological changes and how these could be a potential challenge for healthcare. It is predicted that as an industry we will maybe take longer to fully integrate ourselves in the newest developments.
"Technology integration with the exchanges could pose challenges, especially as most states have yet to announce their platforms or technology requirements," the PwC report states.
At this speculative stage it is impossible to say what the new year will bring, but a marked rise in the use of social media within this industry seems to be leading us into a more digital future.
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