Social media & the healthcare industry: 10 statistics

Social media has fundamentally transformed the way human beings interact and gather new information.

Referral MD pulled together 24 statistics on how social media has impacted the healthcare industry using a number of different sources, including Search Engine Watch, Mediabistro and Institute for Health.

Here are the 10 of the statistics:

1. More than 40 percent of consumers say that information found via social media affects the way they deal with their health.

2. 18 to 24 year olds are more than twice as likely as 45 to 54 year olds to use social media for health-related discussions.

3. Ninety percent of respondents from 18 to 24 years of age said they would trust medical information shared by others on their social media networks.

4. Thirty-one percent of healthcare organizations have specific social media guidelines in writing.

5. Nineteen percent of smartphone owners have at least one health app on their phone. Exercise, diet, and weight apps are the most popular types.

6. From a recent study, 54 percent of patients are very comfortable with their providers seeking advice from online communities to better treat their conditions.

7. Thirty-one percent of healthcare professionals use social media for professional networking.

8. Forty-one percent of people said social media would affect their choice of a specific physician, hospital or medical facility.

9. Thirty percent of adults are likely to share information about their health on social media sites with other patients, 47 percent with physicians, 43 percent with hospitals, 38 percent with a health insurance company and 32 percent with a drug company.

10. Twenty-six percent of all hospitals in the United States participate in social media.

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