Social Media in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges (FutureLearn)

But as the amount of information being uploaded to social networks such as Facebook, Whatsapp or YouTube continues to grow, it is becoming increasingly difficult to discern reliable health information from misleading content.

This course for anyone who is looking into the opportunities and challenges of using social media in healthcare, including as a mass communication tool during infectious disease epidemics.

What topics will you cover?

- Introduction to social media and networking

- Social media generated big data

- Gamification and social media for health behavior change

- Social media and health communication crisis

- Use of social media by hospitals and health authorities

- What can patients do for themselves via social media?

Learning on this course

You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

- Describe what social media is in the context of healthcare.

- Interpret what is good or bad through social media.

- Reflect on the patient's role in modern healthcare ecosystems.

Who is the course for?

This course provides practical guidance to healthcare providers, patients and researchers. It is suitable for anyone who is interested in public health, and using information technology for improving health quality and patients’ safety.

What software or tools do you need?

The course is taught in English but we also offer Traditional Chinese subtitles on the videos.