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Social Media Use in Pediatric Oncology: Tweets, Blogs, and Boundaries

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Abstract

In the past several years, advances in technology and the development of social media have drastically transformed the Internet from a place where individuals can not only obtain information and nurture existing social networks but also develop new relationships when forming or joining communities of interest. Within the realm of healthcare, these developments have created a wide range of opportunities and challenges for both patients and providers. Given the vast means by which patients utilize social media, it is our responsibility as psychosocial providers to better understand why and how social media are used on matters of health. This chapter highlights the various types of social media and provides discussion on how these different media can be used by pediatric oncology patients and their families. Within this framework we then discuss the opportunities and ethical challenges social media present to us as psychosocial providers.

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Correspondence to Sima Zadeh PsyD .

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Zadeh, S., Tunick, R. (2016). Social Media Use in Pediatric Oncology: Tweets, Blogs, and Boundaries. In: Abrams, A., Muriel, A., Wiener, L. (eds) Pediatric Psychosocial Oncology: Textbook for Multidisciplinary Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21374-3_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21374-3_19

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-21373-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-21374-3

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