hcsmSA - Health Communication and Social Media South Africa

The role of social media is to connect people. hcsm is an acronym which represents Health Care Social Media. There are over 30 geographic hcsm networks already in existence. Virtual communities on social platforms (eg patient groups on Facebook) connect people with common objectives and these collectives can be used to educate, accelerate innovation, empower citizens and improve analytics. Some of the other global communities include Canada (hcsmCA), Europe (hcsmEU) & Australia (ANZ). A comprehensive global list is available on www.symplur.com In the past, health care has worked in silos which made it difficult for patients to navigate the system. Health data is also fragmented because it is predominantly paper-based, when captured digitally it follows different processes and most companies won't release it. The proposed changes on the internet (web 3,0) also called the “Internet of Things” suggests that holistic data and participatory medicine can be made possible to close these gaps with inter-connectivity & innovation which in theory might enable precision medicine & 21st-century cures. New technologies like mobile applications & social media could empower both patients & HCP's with the right tools to achieve this, but the IT industry, policy-makers, designers, government & the like need to listen to every users needs carefully & collaborate. hcsmSA moderates a monthly TweetChat to discuss health issues in South Africa with a diverse community of members. The meetings are recorded on transcript & made open to the public for research & development purposes. The topics are based on the Sustainable Development Goals. hcsmSA is currently being developed into a CPD course for health 2.0. & requires sponsorship.