Inaccurate Health Information

The growth of health care activities since then has truly encouraged patients to reach for information outside the confines of patient and physician interaction. Revolutionary new technology such as cell phones and computers, as well as the development of the Internet and social media sites, has served as where a vast majority of the public finds current knowledge for their problems.

Communication has been permanently changed by social media. A wide conceptual definition of social media, as cited in Ressler & Glazer (2010), is “The online and mobile accessible services that enable individuals to connect, collaborate, and share with others in real time.” Social media has an obvious influence on informal communication style and represents both possibility and liability for healthcare institutions. As cited in Bernhardt, Alber, & Gold (2014), “Social media provide healthcare professionals with tools to share information, to debate health care policy and practice issues, to promote health behaviors, to engage with the public, and to educate and interact with patients, caregivers, students, and colleagues.” It also presents challenges, including risks to information accuracy, organizational reputation, and individual privacy. Social media can be a very helpful in communicating among nurses and other healthcare providers while creating professional connections, and sharing experiences, but guidelines for appropriate use by healthcare providers are essential. Whether or not certain healthcare organization decides to use social media as a communications tool - social media policy still need to be implemented. Policies help establish an organization 's rules and expectations around social media.

Moreover, social media can be very beneficial to patients suffering from chronic conditions as well as their family and friends (Norton & Strauss, 2013). For rare diseases local community support groups may not be available. Social media steps in to fill this void by offering users a variety of different online support groups, blogs, newsletters, and networks. Individuals can use such resources to reach out to others with similar issues, find much needed support during difficult times, and become aware of treatments and medications that worked for others with their same illness that may prompt them to contact their doctor about other possibilities in treatment options. When used properly, smartphones and social media can be very beneficial to healthcare providers and patients.

Caveat lector is a Latin phrase meaning, “let the reader beware.” Health information on the internet is growing at an alarming rate. However, some information on the internet is not accurate or current, and unfortunately, many web sites regarding healthcare offer misleading, incomplete, and incorrect information. Many consumers do not have the knowledge to judge and evaluate the quality of online information. This paper aims to discuss how the website WebMD presents information to readers. It will evaluate WebMD according to its source, where was the source obtained; type of funding, is it commercially funded or private; the validity and quality, how valid is the information and can it be verified; and privacy, is your personal information

Education of patients and families regarding the reliability of internet information is prudent. Given the enormous amount of information available via the World Wide Web, not all of which, as you illustrate, is reliable, it is of great importance that patients and families comprehend the unreliability of some of the information they may acquire. Patients who are unable to gain access to health care secondary to a lack of funds, insurance, or availability of their provider, may be inclined to review their symptoms utilizing a search engine. Moreover, patients who were incapable of accessing healthcare due to reasons other than a lack of insurance are more likely to utilize the internet to obtain health related

Social media has taken over the way that we interact with one another. It is leading the way in which we communicate with family, friends, coworkers and strangers. It is also the way we keep up with our favorite celebrities and gossip. Social media and the use of smartphones are becoming more prevalent in business and the healthcare field as well. According to Pew Research Center, “62% of smartphone owners have used their phone in the past year to look up information about a health condition” (April, 2015). Technology, just like all things come with flaws

The rapid development of technology throughout modern society has initiated the widespread use of social networking. Social networking plays a positive role in healthcare when educating, communicating, or advertising. However, poor judgments have the power to turn this positive into negative and damage professional reputations. Griffith (2014) stresses the importance of understanding that protected health information is not a matter of open secrets. Whether a lawyer, doctor, nurse, or a secretary, it is important to avoid conditions that may influence the health and security of patients or clients, as well as their own professional reputation (Aylott, 2011). The Purpose of this paper is to explore the appropriate use of cell phones and social networking in healthcare and the importance of understanding the ethical boundaries between professional uses opposed to personal use.

Advancements in technology have led people to be affected by an overflow of information. Many websites contain information that is unmonitored making it difficult for nurses to obtain accurate, credible information. It is essential for people such as health care professionals to know how to determine the credibility of a website in order to ensure that the information being provided to the patients is accurate. Nurses guide their practice by the use of evidence based practice and provide their patients with information on a routine basis. Thus, it is important for them to ensure a website is credible before providing the patient with any type of information. By the use of the criteria authority, information, objectivity, ease of navigation, and privacy/security policies, nurses can more effectively and efficiently determine website credibility. The criteria was applied to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website in order to determine the credibility of this website with satisfactory results.

Martin Weiser, Stuart H.Q. Chair at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, believes the advice provided “helps frame the cancer treatment discussion, set expectations, inform patients about complex therapies and support their participation in a difficult decision-making process” (Weiser). His job ensures each individual gains full awareness of their symptoms and which treatment plan is best, whether they get all the information from a physician or only some. The feeling is mutual with Lisa Hanchey, author of “WebMD: good or bad medicine?’ She focuses her article around the opinions of doctors. For example, Dr. Gautum explicitly states “an informed patient is one who is going to help me take care of them” (Hanchey). The doctors mentioned in her article all agree, a patient calling with questions of concern will benefit them rather than cause anxiety. Weiser and Hanchey reach a common ground because the results provided online are resourceful, but a doctor’s visit should occur shortly

It is very important to enter the correct information about the immunizations that should be given to a patient and save the record of this vaccinations to avoid given same vaccinations to the same patient again and do not given unnecessary vaccinations to the patient. Immunization providers are required by law to record what vaccine was given, the date the vaccine was given (month, day, year), the name of the manufacturer of the vaccine, the lot number, the signature and title of the person who gave the vaccine, and the address where the vaccine was given. NVAC believes that in addition, the parent or guardian should be given a permanent record to keep and carry to office visits for updates. If this record is lost, a replacement with complete immunization data should be provided. Providers should verify vaccination histories from previous providers whenever possible, and if the provider of an immunization is not the primary care physician, a report of vaccines given should be sent to the primary care provider.

In an age where technology is used without question and is an integral part of everyday life, people must be skeptical about what they read online, especially in regards to health information. There is an abundance of health information on the worldwide web, but it can be put out there by anyone and may not always be accurate or safe. The reader must scan the information they found and determine its credibility and a lot of the resources people use, especially, for complementary and alternative therapies, are not accurate and may pose an inherent risk to one’s health. The website, Phen375, is quite a obscure source of health information for many reasons (“Phen375”, n.d.). There are many ways a viewer can decide whether this website is credible

Chapter Seventeen’s topic on the consumer’s quest for health information via the Internet, posed a “challenge for consumers and healthcare professionals alike” (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015, p. 288) to ensure that the sites offer “reliable and credible sources of information” (Hall, 2009, p. 607). Nurses’ access to reliable and valid information is a must not only as clinicians but also as patient educators (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015). Thus, “nurses are challenged to find and use reliable, credible information to support clinical decision-making and to meet expectations for evidence-based nursing practice” (Miller, Jones, Graves, & Sievert, (2010, Abstract, para. 1) both for themselves and for their patients.

While using social media can be valuable to doctors and nurses, inappropriate use of these tools can be devastating to a health professional career. Here are some examples

Support groups have been increasing in popularity, support has been shown to increase well-being among specific groups in order to address their specific problems or concerns. Social media has been on the rise as well, and the two concepts have combined to be an effective outlet, such as in the case of health and dealing with a chronic condition. This has been shown to be a productive way for people to discuss the stress that they will encounter with learning to manage their disease.

Health and medicine are important for a society to run smoothly. The internet can be very dangerous. First of all, one does not know who is putting this information on the internet and many illnesses have similar symptoms but need different treatments. It is not always easy to decide what is reliable. 80% of internet users go online to find health related information. Many people rely and trust the internet which makes them sicker. When one is unhealthy, it leads to them not being able to perform their role in society and become exempt from normal obligations. Doctors play a vital role in keeping people healthy and productive in our society. People tend to believe what they read on the internet. But as we have learned