Since the emergence of social media in 2004, a growing percentage of patients use this technology for health related reasons. Social media has moved beyond being a tool for young individuals to share their private lives (pictures, messages) to fostering serious discussion on technology and business. Increasingly driven by regulatory pressures, the need “get it right the first time” and minimize costs remains a concern in the healthcare industry. Social media is making interactions between end users and service providers possibly by providing relatively simple, easy to access (one can access social media even using a mobile phone) and unbiased platforms for sharing feedback. Little wonder then that many healthcare providers in the world are on social media such as Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, Linked IN and blogs. However in this paper the researcher wants to investigate patients and health professional's motives and use of social media for health related reasons, and benefits, risk and best practices.
