Twitter now used for medical alerts

Social networking giant Twitter is now being used to deliver medical information in real-time, according to a US health expert.

The site quotes Joseph Kvedar, director of the Center for Connected Health, as saying that “tweets” can help people deliver warnings about disaster alerts and drug safety warnings, and can be useful in tracking disease outbreaks such as swine flu.

“One way to look at Twitter is as a method of mass communication,” Kvedar says in a statement.

But Kvedar also says using Twitter to communicate medical information requires caution in order to keep personal information private, and make sure any information given out is current and trustworthy.