Social Media and Interaction Between Healthcare Professionals and the Kidney Patient

Abstract

Health care professionals utilize social media to educate patients on different disease processes and to find a hospital, physicians, and physician networks most capable of treating their condition increasingly. Patients are not passive consumers of health information anymore but are playing an active role in the delivery of health services through an online environment. Social media platforms offer the possibility for patients to communicate among them and with physicians. These platforms can help patients to be better informed about their condition and more involved in their treatment, social media platforms have helped patients no longer be passive consumers of health information but to play an active role in the delivery of health services through an online environment. The use of social media coupled with technological advancements, and the result interactions between patients and health care providers could help implement, strengthen and enhance an e-Health care model for patients with kidney disease improving short and long-term outcomes.