• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, March 17, 2014

Long before social media came along, it was widely recognized that people facing difficult medical and mental health issues often benefited from meeting other people dealing with the same problems, giving rise to support groups. The advent of the Internet has allowed support groups and other kinds of patient information sharing to go virtual, with online social networks devoted to virtually every major condition and complaint.

In the latest example, the National Autism Network launched last year to help autistic individuals and their families.
 
The HIPAA-compliant social network serves a number of purposes, including allowing parents to share information with medical and therapeutic professionals in a secure confidential environment, as well as finding health care providers and sharing news.

By collecting all their therapists and teachers in a single interface, the social network aims to reduce the amount of time parents spend emailing and calling to get information. But it also exists to connect autistic people, and the family members who care for them, with other people dealing with the same issues.
 
The social network component, which went live in November, allows parents to create profile pages for themselves and their child to communicate with other families whose child may be similarly placed on the “spectrum” of autism disorder, therefore displaying similar behaviors and presenting similar challenges. WRAL quoted Cari DeCandia, the network’s business director: “Making those connections, you can find people that have walked a mile in your shoes. And there's hope.”
 
As noted, a number of social networks are bringing together people dealing aith the same health conditions, including PatientsLikeMe and E-Patient. Studies from the Netherlands have suggested that niche social networks can help patients and doctors improve the treatment of chronic disease by encouraging patients to interact with doctors and adhere to care regimens.
 
Another study suggested that social media may aid in weight loss, by allowing users to participate in virtual support groups. Last year, I wrote about a social media start-up, Prevent, which brings “prediabetics” together into small groups, with participants matched to each other by similar factors, including age and body mass index, as well as location. Together, the participants undertake a 16-week curriculum that includes progressive exercise, diet and behavioral regimens to lose weight and attain other diabetes prevention goals. The Prevent program is facilitated through an online Web site, which coaches each small group through the process separately and allows them to share content via posts and comments.
 
Most U.S. social network users would be willing to share information about their health conditions online in order to help improve care, provided that adequate safeguards are in place to guard their privacy, according to new survey results published by the Institute of Medicine in a report titled “Social Networking Sites and the Continuously Learning Health System: A Survey.”

Overall, 94% of social network users who have health conditions said they would share health information with doctors via social media if they were able to remain anonymous.