PLoS Medicine recently published an article commenting on an earlier study exploring the link between social networking and mortality.
The result speaks for itself: “the degree of mortality risk associated with lack of social relationships is similar to that which exists for more widely publicized risk factors, such as smoking.” You read that right, according to this study which examined over 300,000 participants in a meta-analysis, social relationships are as important as smoking to mortality.
The article goes on to make some very interesting points. For example, it points out that social cohesion has not been viewed as an important component of health policy. To elucidate this point, the authors cite the Marmot review and other key policy in England and the fact that not one of the variables includes social integration. The authors delve into current policy issues and spending on various health care programs, and pose the question of how to address this lack of emphasis on social integration. Highlighting one program focused on elderly patients showed a cost savings and a lower admission rate among those with more social support.
The conclusion the authors draw is very interesting: “Findings such as these,” they write, “and of the systematic review published in PLoS Medicine, argue strongly for the need to fundamentally rethink how societies can look beyond the ‘medical’ causes of disease in an effort to promote health and well-being, and that governments can, and should, do much toward this goal—even during a period of economic crisis.” We couldn’t agree more.
The idea that individuals must be connected to a larger framework of health is integral to improving outcomes. The health care system as it is can be confusing and overwhelming to many patients and isolation can dramatically hamper effective care and interventions. Studies show that the number of “lurkers” (or those who visit sites but don’t participate) is very high, demonstrating that just having social networks is sometimes enough for some to engage and feel part of a network. Providing social support networks is what has prompted sites like PatientsLikeMe and others. As our previous post argued, social media provides a conduit for communication, socialization, and support and can be an important component of health care approaches.
As the mobile health movement continues to gain momentum and merges with personalized medicine, an opportunity is presenting itself to provide unparalleled personal connections for multiple stakeholders within health care. The study presented by PLoS underscores the potential importance of this element of health. The Internet opened a new world for individuals to connect with others, the effects of which are being realized in a number of different ways today. Smartphones, apps, and the iPad will expand upon this potential and deliver many in health care with a more integrated and direct method of connecting and becoming engaged in their care.
Douglas Elwood is Chief Strategy Officer, Zibbel, Inc., and blogs at Mobile Health 360.
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