Healthcare is one of the most promising and fastest growing industries today. Every day, we witness new drugs and medical technologies coming into the market. We can see different advancements in technology sprouting out in every nook and corner of our cities. Hospitals are exploring new technologies and avenues to reach out to the masses in an efficient way to win over the competition.

A significant portion of a hospital’s budget goes into educating its staff that includes doctors and nurses. This helps them reach their patients in an efficient and cost effective manner. Nurses who form an integral part of the healthcare system are gradually adopting social media to reach out to their patients. However, it has been seen that, though social media is turning out to be one of the most cost efficient way of reaching out to the masses. So, here are some of the most important advantages of social media for nurses.

• Increasing awareness

Nurses can use social media to increase awareness among people, to educate people about various infectious diseases, precautionary or preemptive measures to be taken to safeguard one from such diseases and the various treatments available to cure the same. They can also use social media for communicating with healthcare professionals and also with the family and friends of the patient.

• Education and communication

Public awareness can be attained through conducting various educational programs on mass scale. Such programs require continuous education and communication. Hence, it is important that the various stake holders involved in such events communicate effectively (2). Social media serves the purpose very well as it integrates the various stakeholders in one platform and streamlines the flow of information. It also helps them garner mass attention and serves as a tool for mass dissemination of information.

• Healthcare access across vast distances

Social media can be used to communicate with patients/people, inform them about various wellness schemes, market healthcare products and provide basic healthcare advice and get instant public feedback. It also serves as a strong platform for monitoring the conditions of ex-patients or patients suffering from chronic diseases on a regular basis. Apart from these, it also serves as an effective platform for intimating critical information pertaining to a patient to their relatives/friends.

• Professional development

Social media is an important platform to develop nurses professionally. Social media helps one to connect with people of the same profession. Apart from serving one’s networking requirements, it acts as an important tool for knowledge sharing, helping one to connect with experts in different fields. It provides a platform for exchange of views on various classified works, or various developments taking place in the industry. 

As technological advances continue to expand connectivity and communication, the number of patients and nurses, engaging in social media, increases. Nurses play a significant role in identification, interpretation, and transmission of knowledge and information within healthcare. Social media is a platform that can assist nursing faculty in helping students to gain greater understanding of skills in professional communication, health policy, patient privacy and ethics, as well as help nurses stay connected. So, make sure you use social media properly and the possibilities are endless!