EMERGENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AS TELEHEALTH TOOL

Abstract

A public health emergency of international significance is the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). A massive amount of health-threatening misinformation is circulating at a rapid rate than the epidemic itself during this outbreak. This deceptive information hides healthy habits and promotes improper activities that escalated the spread of the virus and eventually lead to negative impacts on people's physical and mental health. Various cases of mishaps triggered by these rumours have been recorded worldwide. Telehealth, particularly social media, is an ideal option to address this problem. The objective of this literature review was to identify the role of telehealth services (especially social media) and the positive and negative effect of social media on the general population during the coronavirus epidemic. However, social media acts as a powerful tool for enhancing the provision of health care if used carefully and prudently.