Large social networks - a good thing to have. It means more friends, more contacts, and more connections, simply, but researches at the Virginia Ann Arbor Health Care System and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor have recently conducted a study that implies that a large social network may also be a health benefit. The subject of the researchers’ study were 605 hospital patients that had recently received operations in the chest and abdominal area. By carrying out massage therapy as well as asking patients about how many social connections they had (measured by number of friends and frequency of meetings with them - in other words, they measured only positive ties), the researchers concluded that there was a direct correspondence between recovery rate and size of the social network the patient was in. Not only that, but patients with many connections also required less pain medication, and were generally more relaxed pre-operation. Similar how a node connected to many other nodes has the most access to information, being part of a large social network implies more support from family and friends, therefore minimizing anxiety before a surgical procedure, as well as lessening the chances of depression after one.

The research is largely aimed at surgeons and hospital staff. For one, social networks may soon become another question to fill out when entering the hospital soon - if the conclusions of this study gains momentum, then hospitals may use the size of your social network to gauge how to best prepare you for an operation. For another, it also clues hospital staff (such as nurses) into which patients may need more continued support. Isolated patients may need to rely on staff instead, filling in the gaps that the lack of friends and family creates. In other words, when their own networks don’t suffice, there is the possibility that it would be necessary for the staff to draw the patients into their network instead. Social Networks are gaining more focused attention in a variety of areas; even employers now sometimes use online networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace to research potential job candidates. The world of medicine is yet another field in which its influence is being discovered.

The article, ‘Socially Connected People Do Better After Surgery’ was published in the February 2008 edition of Journal of the American College of Surgeons. A link to the article can be found here: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=socially-connected-people.