I have run into the occasional family member that may

medical questions or even sending friend request on social media. I have run into the occasional
family member that may ask a suggestion. I always remain professional no matter who the
person is, and politely explain it would be best if they speak with their doctor regarding the
matter. Patients should also be aware not to take advice from sites such as these without speaking
to their health care professional.
Reference
Chretien, K. C., & Tuck, M. G. (2015). Online professionalism: A synthetic review.
International Review of Psychiatry, 27(2), 106–117.
Nelson, R., & Staggers, N. (2018). Health informatics: An interprofessional approach (2nd ed.).
St. Louis,
MO: Elsevier.
Patients are using Google as a means to diagnose themselves. Nowadays Google health
related searches include results for over 900 medical conditions (Lambert, Barry, & Stokes,
2016). While the data is there, sometimes it becomes harder to reach if people are unaware of
how to find it. As a healthcare organization, you can not only educate the general public and your
patient’s on medical conditions, but how to learn more about it.
If you come across a post on social media, you can quickly correct diagnosis
misalignment by directing the user to a more befitting piece of information. Even offering advice
on how to use Google Scholar to search for conditions can go a long way (Chauhan, George, &
Coffin, 2015). For example, try searching “insomnia treatment” in Google, and then search for

“insomnia treatment” in Google Scholar. The reliability and quality of information on the latter
search is far superior to the former (Lambert, Barry, & Stokes, 2016).
Chauhan, B., George, R., & Coffin, J. (2015). Social media and you: what every physician needs
to know. 28 (3), 206–209.
Lambert, K., Barry, P., & Stokes, G. (2016). Risk management and legal issues with the use of
social media in the healthcare setting. 31 (4), 41–47.