New Technology 

By Mikala Lindhardt

            So far we have discussed the amazing tool social media has been and is today. It allows us to communicate with others far away or advertise our company to many people in a short amount of time. This is just to name two of the things we can use social media for.

            There is one aspect that it fun to think about at times, and that is, what will be the social media of the future? How will it change? I think we can all agree social media will at some point change and we will begin a new era of interactions. There is one aspect of future social media I wish to discuss today—social media in health care.

            Dr. Kevin Campbell MD, FACC is an internationally recognized Cardiologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders. Not only is he knowledgeable when it comes to the human body, particularly the heart, but also social media. He is an enthusiastic user of social media and you can follow him on Twitter @DrKevinCampbell.

            In an interview written and posted online by Forbes, Dr. Campbell was asked about how he deals with doctors who don’t use social media and think it is waste of time. He said, “fear and a lack of knowledge provokes immediate rejection of a novel concept or practice among the ‘old guard’ physician.” Basically, he was saying using social media in health care is a great concept and is going to be a thing of the future.

            It is interesting to think about. I believe patient care will slowly move toward social media. There are already blogs and personal experiences of people with illnesses that can be read by the public, but I have a feeling that will increase. I believe someday we will be able to private message our physician and tell him our symptoms and have him call in a prescription. Perhaps pharmacy will be heading toward a social media aspect as well.

            The reason I think this way is because it is already in place. There are already plans in place and trials being run for a ‘FaceTime Emergency Room’ type of system. Weird, right?

            Dr. Kevin Campbell, in the same interview by Forbes, said, “Social media is merely an extension of the doctor-patient relationship.” I feel that is a good way to look at it. Social media isn’t meant to change our healthcare system, but simply add to it. Granted, the privacy settings will have to be re-evaluated because of patient privacy laws (HIPPA), but this could be a great thing.

            One other aspect I would like to bring up. Patients and physicians won’t only have a relationship via social media and questions and information can be shared, but clinical trials can be better performed. Dr. Kevin Campbell said one of the greatest trials enrollment. With the help of social media, people and volunteers can be easily found. I believe there will be more clinical trials and with more clinical trials we will be able to find more cures for sicknesses and diseases.

            There are definitely pros and cons to each of these aspects I have mentioned. Changes will happen. It is part of life. What changes do you think will take place in the future in regards to healthcare? Comment below.