Project Overview

Social Media and the Transformation of Healthcare: A Viewpoint

We examine the complex intersection of social media and SDoH, a relationship informed by their impact on one another. We argue that a paradigm shift in the physician-patient relationship is warranted where physicians: a) acknowledge the impacts of Social Determinants of Health on information-seeking behavior, b) recognize the positive and negative roles of social media as a mediator of health through the lens of SDoH, and c) use social media to catalyze positive changes in the standard of care.

We suggest that only by broadening our understanding on the intimate linkage between social media and SDoH the gap between current approaches to patient care and the vision of precision medicine with its inherent personalized aspects can be effectively bridged.