Apart from playing an important role in building strong institutions, it also identifies the causes of environmental problems, monitors how they are being addressed, and raises public awareness. In short, it serves as an important tool in building a progressive, equitable and better society. In the current situation, the media must continue to work to ensure that environmental laws, policies, strategies and capacities work better and lead to more sustainable environmental growth.

The media plays a very important role in shaping public opinion to achieve the goals of various public health institutions. For example, promoting the benefits of vaccination, emphasizing the need for hand hygiene, and encouraging individuals to take preventive measures against non-communicable diseases, etc. In that case, the dissemination of health information can be both relevant and accurate. However, rumors can also spread, which can lead to discrimination and misinformation. Therefore, the media, as an important medium of health communication, must always be ethical in providing information, guidance and entertainment.

The media engages people with current and diverse information. As a result, it is an indispensable source for disseminating information related to health and lifestyle. Currently, social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp, and YouTube have become important channels for disseminating health information and news to the public.

OBJECTIVES

1. To know about the impact and awareness of social media as a medical service environment.
2. To know about the problems of media in health promotion and to suggest some benefits of solutions

A questionnaire has been prepared based on the topic 'Role of Media in Health and Awareness Raising as an Environment of Medical Service Institutions'. Here some questions have been selected as multiple choice questions and some questions have been selected as single choice questions. A mixed survey design has been used for this study to make the data more effective and accurate by measuring the current situation. Which has made this work more informative and has facilitated the collection of a lot of data for a large population survey in a short period of time. Both qualitative and quantitative data have been collected from biomedical-engineers, doctors, industry experts, medical college students, biomedical-engineering university students, students of various government and private institutions. Two different sampling methods have been used for data collection, one is purposive sampling and the other is simple random. The data has been processed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and MS Excel graphical application software. After filtering and transformation, the data has been analyzed. Finally, some guidelines are recommended based on the gap analysis, existing images, and the opinions of all relevant participants

Initially, the samples were collected as a mixed questionnaire survey. The samples were collected from various sources where different opinions were expressed about the healthcare institutions and media environment.

Graph 1: Graph Distribution of responsible health reporting, what journalists should prioritize.

Against the question ‘To ensure responsible health reporting, what should journalists prioritize?’ survey represents that 64% responds for Fact-checking information and citing credible sources, 19% responds for Consulting only with experts from a single perspective, 10% responds for Sensationalizing stories for increased viewership and 7% responds  for Ignoring the potential impact of their reporting on public health.

Graph 2: Graph Distribution of instances of fake news on social media influence public opinion.

Against the question ‘ What instances of fake news on social media influence public opinion?‘ survey represents that 83% says Spreading misinformation and influencing perceptions, 10% says Promoting accurate information, 4% says  Encouraging critical thinking and 3% says  Enhancing media literacy.

Graph 3: Graph Distribution of the following is an impact of social media on public health communication.

Against the question ‘ Which of the following is an impact of social media on public health communication?’ graph represents that 83% responds about Rapid dissemination of health information and mobilization for health campaigns, 14% responds about  Promoting misinformation only, 1% responds about Content that is only available to a small audience and 1% responds about Limiting public engagement.

Graph 4: Graph Distribution of the following is a potential benefit of social media in shaping public opinion.

Against the question ‘ Which of the following is a potential benefit of social media in shaping public opinion?’ survey represents that 90% says Increased access to diverse view points and information, 5% says Limited communication channels, 4% says  Reduced global connectivity and 1% says Decreased public engagement.

Graph 5: Graph Distribution of the most important factor in using media to influence health behaviours.

Against the question ‘ What is the most important factor in using media to influence health  behaviours?’ survey represents that 90% knocks for Presenting information in a relatable and accessible way, 5% knocks for Focusing solely negative consequences of unhealthy behavior, 4% knocks for Using complex medical terminology and 1% knocks for Ignoring the audience’s cultural context.

Graph 6: Graph Distribution of the following is a potential benefit of social media in shaping public opinion.

Against the question ‘ Which of the following is a potential benefit of social media in shaping public opinion?’ survey represents that 90% says Increased access to diverse view points and information, 5% says Limited communication channels, 4% says  Reduced global connectivity and 1% says Limiting public engagement.

Graph 7: Graph Distribution of media effectively promote health awareness.

Against the question ‘  How can media effectively promote health awareness?’ survey represents that 90% says By proving accurate and reliable health information and information, 5% says By sensationalizing health issues for attention, 3% says  By ignoring public health concerns Specific Media Channels and 1% says By only targeting specific demographics.

Graph 8: Graph Distribution of doctors use the Internet and social media.

Against the question ‘Why Doctors use the Internet and social media?’ survey represents that 79% responds for They need its speed and efficiency to sift through vast amounts of medical information, 11% responds for It is a requirement of the Affordable Care Act, 6% responds for All the information on the internet is accurate and reliable and 4% responds for It is cost-effective.

Graph 9: Graph Distribution of the average age of Instagram doctor’s users.

Against the question ‘What is the average age of Instagram doctor’s users?’ survey represents that 76% says 25-35 yrs., 22% says 36- 45 yrs., and 2% says 46-55 yrs.

Graph 10: Graph Distribution of approximately percentage of Patients uses social networks.

Against the question ‘Approximately what percentage of Patients uses social networks?’ survey represents that 42%  knocks for 70%-80%, 30% knocks for 50%-60%, 20%  knocks for  80%-90%  and  8% knocks for 30% -40%.

Graph 10: Graph Distribution of patients use the Internet and social media.

Against the question ‘Why Patients use the Internet and social media?’ survey represents that 74% says They seek a sense of community with peers when making health care decisions, 10% says They are afraid to go to the doctor, 9% says They are uninsured and it’s cheaper to buy a smartphone insurance and 7% They are afraid to go to the doctor.

Graph 11: Graph Distribution of media reader surveys say about the impact of environmental pollution on human health.

Against the question ‘ What do media reader surveys say about the impact of environmental pollution on human health?’ survey represents that 62% responds for Decrease in the male and female fertility, 18% responds for Increase in the male and female fertility, 13% responds for Decrease in the mental stress and 8% responds for Decrease in the carcinogen cells.

PARTICIPANT’S OPINION

• Media plays a crucial role in promoting health by informing, educating and influencing public opinion, ultimately encouraging healthier behaviours and raising awareness about important health issues.
• Misinformation spreads too quickly on social media but it can serves as a bridge between medical institutions and the public, by sharing important health information.
• Media acts as a powerful tool for disseminating information in influencing public opinion and fostering positive health behaviours but also requiring careful attention to ensure accuracy and avoid misinformation.
• The Media plays a key role in promoting health ad supporting medical institution by spreading awareness encouraging preventive care and providing reliable information during health crisis.
• The media plays a vital role in promoting health awareness by educating the public, sharing medical advancements and encouraging preventive care. It helps combat misinformation and reduces stigma around health issues.
• The media helps medical service institution by highlighting their services, achievements & innovations. It also plays a key role during health crises, such as pandemics by providing updates & countering misinformation.
• The role of the media is promoting health and awareness as an environment for medical service institutions is immense nowadays and the have a long ahead to contribute more in this era of social media effectively without misleading any mass people.
• The media is a fundamental pillar in raising awareness of health issues by providing accurate information, education, advocacy and promoting positive changes in the health behaviour of individuals and communities.
• The media role is extensively significant. It can help to spread news, facts, and factoids like wildfire and helps to reach people's doorstep.
• Social media is both beneficial and harmful. It spreads not only true news but also false news which is known as propaganda.
• By stopping unnecessary fear or panic around certain health topic and stop spreading misinformation about medical service, it is very helpful for disseminating health information to mass people.

Examining the role of media in raising awareness about healthcare, this study suggests that media can be a very important communication tool in increasing awareness and knowledge about health. Since no single entity can achieve this alone, effective involvement of various media is necessary to achieve sustainable healthcare in this field. . The opinion emerged that the power of media is felt when the media establishes a sense of unity and continuously provides information to the larger community about healthcare needs. If the media provides the public with objective information and news in the health sector, the use of treatment and prevention protocols is possible.

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3. Shivani Kasturia1*, Divya2 (2023), Role of Mass Media in Achieving Accessible Healthcare