In this day and age where information is so easily accessible via the internet, patients often turn to search engines and social media as their primary sources of information when they begin to question their health. Whether searching for diagnoses or health care providers, the internet has become the go-to resource for health information. It is thus critical that those who provide such information for online consumption be equipped to navigate the world of health care and social media, not only to ensure accuracy of information, but also to ensure that information sharing and patient privacy laws and regulations are respected. Vanessa Carter, who presented at the PHASA 2018 conference introduced me to the basics of health care social media and I got to experience first-hand the value of her work! Vanessa is truly an innovative health care social media reformer!

The Healthcare Social Media Influencer Program which took place at the Public Health Association enlightened me about what good digital citizenship is and how to use it to advance healthcare. The program gave me an opportunity to make a difference by leveraging tools like the web to help promote an inspiring global vision for Universal Health Coverage. It also inspired me to start #LadiesGoals, a community focused on Women Empowerment and Gender Equality.

I have been on Twitter since 2009 but never before have I got to fully understand the impact of hashtags and the importance of thinking about what hashtags to put in a post and how that can potentially affect how the tweet message is perceived by my audience, or whether the message I want to put across, does actually get across. The Healthcare Social Media training was an eye opener and gave me the skills I needed to effectively use Social Media for sharing useful healthcare information. I would recommend this for everyone.