An e-patient’s End-user community (EUCY): The value added of social network applications

Decreasing revenues and increasing expenses has led many healthcare organizations to adopt newer technological applications in order to address the informational needs of their patients. One such adoption technique is to develop a more robust e-patient environment. Health care organizations may increase their effectiveness in meeting the needs of a growing e-patient population through the implementation of high-quality social networking applications such as Twitter. These applications may help to support and maintain a valuable and informed community. A literature review identifies three characteristics that have an impact on information exchange inherent to social networks: number of members, contact frequency, and type of knowledge. Data from a case study of a juvenile diabetic using Twitter helps to demonstrate these aforementioned characteristics. A framework is developed that may be used by health care organizations to better align social network objectives with expectations of an End user community (EUCY). Managerial implications of this study are discussed that can help information technology professionals as well as health administrators when implementing social networks.

► We examine how a patient uses Twitter to gain health info from an End user community (EUCY).
► Patients desire more information and sharing opportunities through social networks.
► A framework is offered to align social network goals with the expectations of a EUCY.
► One key finding was the rapid development of competency and openness in a EUCY.