NHS and Social Media

Tonight I took part in my first NHS and Social Media (#NHSSM) discussion on twitter. I had seen the hashtag mentioned before but never known what it was for, and tonight I used my best multi tasking and conversation-following skills to try it out!

Tonight's discussion was around electronic patient records. I will have to admit that it got a bit too technical for me at some points, for example when discussing specific systems and programmes for electronic patient records but it was still fascinating! Once I got used to following the conversation (TweetDeck saved me!) it became a fantastic chance to see social media in action. Professionals from around the country, and quite possible the globe all came together to share their opinions and professional experience.

Some of the main points from tonight's discussion were:

• How secure can electronic records ever be?
• Can we restore public trust in the NHS and Electronic Records in general, enough to use electronic records as a standard?
• Would electronic records improve communication between different settings? e.g. community and inpatient, physical and mental health

Personally, I have only had experience of paper records, both in the NHS and in the Private Sector but I do fully agree that electronic records would mean more improved communication between services. I also think that having electronic records would encourage more individuals to check their own records, which in turn should reduce errors. As for the safety of electronic records, well I am definitely not technical enough to know that (!) but I think there does need to be a shift in the public opinion over electronic records, especially following recent media stories over lost information from both governments and businesses.

As this week was my first NHSSM I did not get actively involved, but I am thoroughy looking forward to next weeks discussion and hopefully I will be able to read fast enough to reply!

Heather