Social Media in Healthcare Information

Since the advent of smartphones, and their subsequent development into pocket-sized computers, PDAs, and virtual assistants, it has become possible to harness the power of the Internet to communicate from almost anywhere. As the hardware has developed, so too have the ways in which we communicate; and what we call social media has now been an integral part of life for over 20 years now. In that time-frame, it has revolutionised so many aspects of our lives that it is now difficult to imagine a world without social media in some form. As Smartphone technology has matured and users have grown more sophisticated in their use of various social media platforms, concerns about privacy, ethics, censorship, and misinformation have raised their heads.

Social Media in Healthcare Information provides an overview of current and recent developments in social media, concentrating on the most influential and well-established platforms. In addition to drawing together some of the most recent published scholarship in this area, this title also includes practical tips and consideration of how the platforms can be used to support knowledge and library service provision in healthcare settings.

Paula Younger is a UK Chartered Librarian with several years of experience in NHS, academic, and government libraries and information services. Her interests include the use of technology, health literacy, and healthcare information in languages other than English. Since the 1990s, she has published several articles, which have appeared in several professional LIS and nursing journals as well as on international websites. In 2010 she co-edited the facet title Using Web 2.0 for Health Information with Peter Morgan of Cambridge University (now retired). Contributing author Veronica Price is a UK Chartered Librarian (confirmation pending) working for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. Her duties include outreach, overseeing social media for the service, and providing training and literature searching support. She has also been involved in successful partnership working with the local Public Library service with a strong focus on health literacy. Before moving into healthcare librarianship, she worked in the state school system in Somerset.