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Cited by 102Social Media in Health EducationHealth Literacy and Information AccessibilityPatient-Provider Communication in Healthcare

Social Media and the Transformation of the Physician-Patient Relationship: Viewpoint

Open access
Forgie, Ella M E, Lai, Hollis, Cao, Bo, Stroulia, Eleni, Greenshaw, Andrew J, Goez, Helly·2021·Journal of Medical Internet Research
DOI 10.2196/25230PMC PMC8742211

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Abstract

As many as 80% of internet users seek health information online. The social determinants of health (SDoH) are intimately related to who has access to the internet and health care as a whole. Those who face more barriers to care are more likely to benefit from accessing health information online, assuming the information they are retrieving is accurate. Virtual communities on social media platforms are beginning to serve as venues for seeking health information online because peers have been shown to influence health behavior more than almost anything else. As a positive mediator of health, social media can be used as a direct or indirect mode of communication between physicians and patients, a venue for health promotion and health information, and a community support network. However, false or misleading content, social contagion, confirmation bias, and security and privacy concerns must be mitigated to realize the full potential of social media as a positive mediator of health. This paper presents the shifting dynamics of how such communities are affecting physician-patient relationships. With the intersections between the SDoH, social media, and health evolving, physicians must take into consideration these factors when establishing their relationships with patients. We argue a paradigm shift in the physician-patient relationship is warranted, one where physicians acknowledge the impacts of the SDoH on information-seeking behavior, recognize the positive and negative roles of social media as a mediator of health through the lens of the SDoH, and use social media to catalyze positive changes in the physician-patient relationship. We discuss how the physician-patient relationship must evolve to accommodate for the ever-increasing role of social media in health and to best use social media as a tool to improve health outcomes. Finally, we present a fluid and multicomponent diagram that we believe will assist in framing future research in this area. We conclude that it is ineffective and even counterproductive for physicians to ignore the relationship between social media, the SDoH and health, their impact on one another, and the effect it has on designing the medical encounter and the delivery of care under the definition of precision medicine.

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  • Physicians often react negatively to discussions involving information sourced from social media.

    “however, physicians often react negatively to discussions involving information sourced from social media [11-13].”

    From Social Media Use Among Parents and Caregivers of Children With Rare Genetic Diseases: Scoping Review (2025) · cites this paper as [13]

    In “Using Social Media to Catalyze Positive Changes in the Physician-Patient Relationship,” the paper reports that interviewed patients perceived health care workers as opposed to mentions of health information retrieved online. It also warns against dismissing beliefs derived from social media. These passages support the general concern, but do not establish how often physicians react negatively to discussions specifically about social-media information. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Most patients discuss information they have found online with their health care provider.

    “Most patients discuss information they have found online with their health care provider”

    From Social Media Use Among Parents and Caregivers of Children With Rare Genetic Diseases: Scoping Review (2025) · cites this paper as [13]

    The section 'Using Social Media to Catalyze Positive Changes in the Physician-Patient Relationship' discusses patients mentioning online health information to health care workers. It does not say that most patients discuss information they found online with their provider; the Introduction’s 80% figure concerns seeking information online, not discussing it. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Social media can be a useful tool for information sharing and social support networks.

    “We know that social media can be a useful tool for information sharing and social support networks [13].”

    From Social Media Use Among Parents and Caregivers of Children With Rare Genetic Diseases: Scoping Review (2025) · cites this paper as [13]

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [49]Larsen K Walker PF Barnett ED Health literacy Immigrant Medicine 2007 Amsterdam Elsevier Inc E 24

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Authors
Forgie, E. M. E., Lai, H., Cao, B., Stroulia, E., Greenshaw, A. J., & Goez, H.
Affiliations
University of Alberta (CA)
Corresponding author
Goez, Helly
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Medical Internet Research
Publisher
JMIR Publications Inc.
Published
2021-12-24
Volume
23
Issue
12
Pages
e25230
ISSN
1438-8871 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.2196/25230
PMC
PMC8742211
OpenAlex
W3208631643
Cited by
101
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 22 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 5
FWCI
7.87
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Journal of Medical Internet Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
University of Alberta
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Social Media in Health Education
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
Keywords
social media, physician-patient relationship, social determinants of health, online health information seeking, health misinformation, social contagion, confirmation bias, privacy and security concerns, health promotion, community support networks, precision medicine
MeSH terms
Community Support, Humans, Physician-Patient Relations, Physicians, Internet, Information Seeking Behavior, Social Media

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