Nowadays, social media has become an effective tool for communicating with the public in all areas, including health institutions. Slovenian healthcare institutions have many opportunities to use social networks in their work, but at the same time there are also a few limitations. Healthcare institutions can publish news about various innovations in healthcare, lectures and events through social media and thus reach a larger target group. This enables better public awareness and consequently increases visits to medical institutions and increases awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Social media also allow a more personal and easy way of communication. Through social media, healthcare professionals can respond to users' questions and concerns, which improves their satisfaction and trust in healthcare services. However, there are also a number of challenges to be aware of when using social media for public relations. Despite these challenges, the use of social media is one of the exceptional opportunities to improve communication, awareness and the image of the entire healthcare system in the country. In this master's thesis, we first researched the field of social media in connection to healthcare, examined their advantages and disadvantages, and investigated the use of social media in public relations communication in healthcare. In the empirical part, we investigated their actual use by public health institutions in Slovenia and compared this with already existing research. At the end of the thesis we gave a few guidelines for the effective use of social networks by healthcare institutions in Slovenia.
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