Evaluation of a Web 2.0 Tool
Web 2.0 Tool
The World Wide Web has greatly
evolved in most recent years. Its newest Web 2.0 tools have made creating and
accessing websites more attainable for the average internet user. The term Web 2.0 refers to “the second generation
of the Web” which is also known as the “read/write web, which centers on the
ability for people to collaborate and share information” (Hebda & Czar,
2013, p. 84). Some examples of Web 2.0 tool applications are blogs, wikis, and
video-sharing sites such as YouTube.
YouTube
YouTube is a user-friendly,
video-sharing Web 2.0 tool that allows consumers and health professionals to
connect, educate, share ideas, and network with others. It is the
second-largest search engine in the world, and currently the fastest growing
video-sharing website (Mushroom Networks, 2017). YouTube has four essential
values that defines who they are: Freedom of Expression, Freedom of
Information, Freedom of Opportunity, and Freedom to Belong. These values
emphasize their dedication to people’s opportunity to speak freely, share
opinions and ideas, and have access to information through videos on their
site, while belonging to a community.
Evaluation Criteria and
Rationales
User-Friendly
YouTube is very user-friendly and
easy to access. The only requirements to access the website is an up-to-date
internet browser and a fairly descent internet connection to view most videos. You
can view most videos without needing to create an account; in the instance you
want to watch movies for personal viewing, you would need to create an account
and/or setup a monthly subscription. For the purposes of this assignment in
reference to healthcare consumers and providers, there is no fee for using the
website. If healthcare providers want to upload videos to educate their
patients, they can create an account for free, which is quick and easy to do.
It is important for the tool to be user-friendly in order for healthcare
providers and consumers to find its use in care effective (YouTube, 2017).
Security
YouTube has strict policies to
protect the privacy and security of their users. There are guidelines in place
to prevent the uploading of any videos containing harmful or dangerous content,
hateful content, nudity, violent or graphic content, harassment or
cyberbullying, spam, threats, child endangerment, impersonation or copyright.
If any individual uploads video containing someone’s personal information,
actions will be taken immediately. There are also policies in place for teens,
parents, students, and educators. YouTube staff is available 24/7 is a consumer
feels a violation is being made or something needs to be reported (YouTube,
2017). Patients need to feel protected and know their information will not be
exposed.
Privacy
and Accessibility
YouTube allows the option to create
a private channel that gives access to only the people you allow, such as your
employees, patients, and other healthcare professionals. A healthcare
professional can customize their own YouTube channel representing their
organization and then upload educational resources for their patients. If
someone else tries to access the YouTube channel that was not given permission,
they will not see any of the uploaded videos, thus ensuring your privacy
(Gregory, 2018).
Compatibility
You want to verify that the tool is
compatible with other tools and resources (HealthIT.gov, 2013). When using
YouTube, can you view on multiple devices, such as a desktop computer, laptop,
tablet, smartphone; is there an app? The answer to all these questions are yes.
You can connect to YouTube in multiple ways and through other sites: Twitter,
Instagram, Facebook, Google. The tool is easy to use, works with other
resources, and is here to serve you.
Accuracy
Some information that is provided on
the internet and through apps can be biased and inaccurate. It is important to
consider these sources carefully, especially if they guide consumers toward
using a particular treatment option or product (HealthIT.gov, 2013).
Evaluation of Tool
YouTube is an excellent outlet for
healthcare professionals to communicate with consumers, educate, and network
with other healthcare providers. “Social media is emerging as the
communications tool hospitals use to engage patients” (Hoppszallern, 2014). The
biggest uses remain community engagement, patient education, health care tips,
and crisis communication. More than 75% of hospitals use social media for
patient education; although 97% of ‘Most Wired hospitals’ are using Facebook,
YouTube ranked second at 83% (Hoppszallern, 2014). These statistics show its
high popularity among users make it a very useful Web 2.0 tool.
Benefits and Uses
YouTube can not only be used as an
educational tool, but can also be an effective marketing tool for healthcare
organizations: introducing a hospital and its services to target consumers. An
organization can also promote public health by providing useful health tips to
build a reputation. They can share videos that demonstrate medical procedures
to educate consumers to alleviate concerns and gain trust. Other videos they can
share are customer testimonials, organized events, new services offered, etc. YouTube
can be a video-sharing portal to take a healthcare organization to a whole new level
of success, while also educating consumers and engaging them in their care (McMalcolm,
2013).
Potential Issues
The biggest issue with information found
on online sources and social media websites is the lack of reliability and quality
of the information. Often, authors of medical information found on social media
websites are unknown or identified by limited information (Ventola, 2014), so consumers
must be cautious as to how they use the information they find on the internet.
Lessons Learned
For this assignment I reviewed the Web
2.0 tool YouTube. I learned many different things about YouTube that I was
unaware of, such as you can make a private channel which only users you give
permission to can access., which I found very appealing. I had no idea YouTube
was the second-largest search engine in the world, but it did not surprise me
that it is the fastest growing video-sharing website. I really admired the four
essential values that YouTube employs, it shows that they care about the
consumers who use their site. YouTube is the second-most used social media site
amongst ‘Most-Wired’ hospitals, which emphasizes its compatibility, accessibility,
and user-friendly nature.
References
Gregory, S. (2018). How to Build a Private YouTube Channel.
Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/build-private-youtube-channel-59230.html
HealthIT.gov. (2013, January 18). Find Quality Resources. Retrieved from
https://www.healthit.gov/patients-families/find-quality-resources
Hebda, T., & Czar, P.
(2013). Handbook of informatics for
nurses & healthcare professionals (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Hoppszallern,
S. (2014). Embracing digital tools for patient care. Hospitals & Health Networks,88(11), 24. Retrieved from www.hhnmag.com
McMalcolm,
J. (2013, August 23). Benefits of
Capitalizing on YouTube in Hospitals. Retrieved from
http://www.healthcareglobal.com/technology/benefits-capitalizing-youtube-hospitals
Mushroom Networks. (2017). YouTube - The 2nd Largest Search Engine
(Infographic). Retrieved from https://www.mushroomnetworks.com/infographics/youtube---the-2nd-largest-search-engine-infographic/
Ventola, C. L.
(2014). Social Media and Health Care Professionals: Benefits, Risks, and Best
Practices. P T, 39(7), 491-499.
Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103576/
YouTube. (2017). About. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/intl/en/yt/about/
YouTube. (2017). Policies and Safety. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/yt/about/policies/#staying-safe
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteYou are correct that YouTube can be used as an educational tool and also for marketing. One great example of marketing is an healthcare organization placing instructions to access their portal on your tube and then post it on their facebook or twitter page. I think it is a more cost efficient use of resources as advertising on television or placing a billboard can be quite expensive. Flakes (2018) noted, "the healthcare industry is one of the top industries attracting large number of audience in social media. A record of 34% of consumers tap social media to search for health information according to a research data from How America Searches: Health & Wellness by iCrossing and Opinion Research Corporation". This is a major impact to the way consumers are managing their health.
References:
Flakes, S., (2018).Benefits of Utilizing Social Media in the Health Care Industry. Retrieved from https://getreferralmd.com/2014/02/benefits-utilizing-social-media-health-care-industry/
Sal,
DeleteI agree, YouTube can be an excellent marketing and education resource for healthcare organizations to use to reach patients in instances such as patient portals instructions, then utilizing other social media such as Twitter or Facebook, which are also supported by YouTube, rather than paying for advertisement. These resources give organizations and healthcare providers opportunities to be cost effective while engaging consumers and promoting patient-centered care in an efficient way.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, videos can certainly enhance learning, however, YouTube has a limited rating system to accurately denote the relevance and validity of the content. Assadi and Gasparyan (2015) provide an interesting approach to medical content videos. These authors suggest that the scholarly review process and criteria be applied to medical and scientific videos, lending credence to the accuracy of content. Our organization utilizes YouTube videos for both internal staff education as well as outward facing patient education. When specific healthcare organizations develop and distribute the information, the likelihood of it being accurate is significantly increased as their professional reputation is on the line. Private channel access, as you mention, is another valuable pathway for disseminating information; we do this through our patient portals. Placing videos on organizational web sites or emailing direct links to videos is a great way to assist in educating patients.
References:
Assadi, R., & Gasparyan, A. (2015). Editing, publishing and aggregating video articles: do we need a scholarly approach? Journal of Korean Medical Science 30(9), 1211-1212. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2015.30.9.1211
I find the private channel access to be a great benefit of using YouTube as an educational resource. I believe consumers are more likely to trust the accuracy of the content if the links and information being posted on the channel are coming directly from their healthcare organization, which they are only permitted to access by their healthcare provider, and as you stated, their reputation is on the line. If the patient is just doing a general search for information on their own, they have a greater risk of finding inaccurate or unreliable information, but still have the option to verify the credibility of the source before trusting it.
Delete