A number of blogs and website offer their take and lists of healthcare social media trends and issues for 2016. Here's three places to check out current thinking on how to position yourself in this arena:

Medicom Health offers thesesocial media trends to watch for 2016. Their list includes:
1. Immediacy - they tell us "Videos, edited and posted after the fact no longer seem timely." Live is in.
2. Functionality - major apps are expanding their offerings
3. Privacy - "Nowhere is privacy more relevant than in healthcare marketing."
4. Messaging - "all businesses need to look into how they can integrate these messaging apps into their social media strategy."
5. Influencers - "get to know who the influencers are and what they are saying."
6. Commerce - "more social media platforms adding the ability to make purchases directly with buy buttons and similar features."
7. Mobile - "Your website must be compatible with mobile devices like smartphones and tablets."

Medical Web Experts posted their Healthcare Social Media Predictions You Need To Know in 2016:
1. "Visual content is on the rise, and it is not slowing down."
2. "Live streaming is set to be the next big thing."
3. "The number of people using mobile as their main source of engagement on social media platforms is rising considerably."
4. "Privacy is Priority"
5. "It’s only a matter of time before social channels incorporate eCommerce functionality"
6. "Social for Customer Care"
7. "Advanced Social Analytics"
8. "New Publishing Formats"

Dodge Communications includes these social media topics in their overall discussion of 2016 Trends to Drive Your Healthcare Marketing Strategies:
A. "Instagram and Snapchat move up"
B. "Facebook ingests publishers"
C. "Online video is one of the fastest growing media formats"