Social media for health advocacy.

Abstract

Twenty-five percent of US adults do not have a primary care doctor. With inherent physical obstacles often found in health care systems, there is a disparity in the ability to navigate through health care. Social media has helped patients navigate the muddy waters and helped remove traditional medicine's roadblocks, which tend to limit access to health care resources. Through social media, patients access areas to promote health, network and build their communities, and become better advocates to make more informed health care decisions. However, limitations exist for health advocacy through social media, including widespread medical misinformation, disregard of evidence-based practices, and challenges to ensure user privacy. Regardless of the limitations, the medical community must accept and work with medical professional societies to stay at the forefront of shared material and become interwoven in social media. This engagement could help empower the public with knowledge to advocate for themselves and know where to go for definitive medical care when warranted. Medical professionals must embrace the public's research and self-advocacy as the foundation of a new symbiotic relationship.