In one study of health and social media respondents to the following question ‘How likely are you to trust health information posted online through social media by Doctors’ 60% of respondents answered in the affirmative. To the same question on other information sources respondents answered
- Hospital – 55%
- Nurse – 56%
- Retail Pharmacy -36%
To another question ‘How likely are you to share health information via social media’ respondents answered
- with doctors 47%
- with Hospitals 43%
The results to both these questions suggests there is a significant community with which health professionals may connect via social media.
To the question ‘Have you posted about your own health experiences on social media?’ 24% of respondents answered yes. 27% claimed to have commented at one time or another on these kinds of posts.
The nature of posts and comments on ‘health experiences’ is not recorded but the likelihood is that many will relate to perceived deficiencies or inconsistencies in information and dissatisfaction with treatment. Happily some posts and comments will comprise positive experiences with health care institutions but these will be relatively fewer in number (As writers are fond of saying, ‘Happiness writes in white”)
The responses to all the questions above make clear that there are three important ways health care professionals can and should make use of social media
- Proactive customer service – information on healthy lifestyle choices, health care provision
- Reactive customer service – answering problems and responding to online criticisms in an open, transparent and timely manner
- Promotion – broadcasting positive experiences to contrast with the negative health service stories in mass media reports
In this post I want to focus on 1. In the next post on this blog we will look at parts 2 and 3 in more detail.
1. Proactive customer service
There are often initiatives aimed at mitigating and reducing the occurrence of all too common ailments and unhealthy lifestyle choices. Some of the commonest subjects of such intiatives are listed here
- Smoking
- Obesity/diet
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Strokes
- Prostate cancer
The initiatives associated with the above have traditionally taken the form of poster, leaflet and television campaigns. It seems only sensible in an age where a growing section of the population gathers its news and information via computer or smart phone that campaigners turn their attention to social media.
While social media may not impact the majority of present day sufferers of the ailments or habits listed above who largely belong to an older, technology resistant demographic it can impact younger people at a time before they fully embark on a sedentary life of overeating, excessive drinking and smoking.
Taking in to account that “about 95 percent of 12-to 17-year-olds in the United States have Internet access at home and/or school” division chief of pediatric cardiology at Duke University Medical Center, North Carolina, Jennifer Li, focused on tackling childhood obesity states that “Online communication and social media are an increasing part of our lives and our overall social network of family, friends and peers…Healthcare providers should embrace its potential as a tool for promoting healthy behavioral change.” (see full article here)
The spreading of any campaign’s message in social media will be enhanced by the fact that in even in virtual networks “people who are overweight or obese tend to share a home or spend their leisure time with others who are overweight or obese,” and if information published on social media reaches one obese child who subsequently starts “making healthy changes,… others will be influenced to do so as well.”
With these facts established what might social media aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles to combat common ailments comprise? I intend listing some concrete ideas here that may form the basis of various social media campaigns and also, hopefully, inspire you to think up some of your own.
(if you can think of some then please detail them in the comments section)
A final note before beginning my list: Be aware that social media is a multi-media environment where text, pictures, graphs, audio and film/video are effective. To this end you should use a proper mix of social media platforms, a basic model of which is provided here.
Let’s look at the first two problem areas listed above – smoking and obesity
Smoking
- Set up blog and/or Facebook pages outlining the risks of smoking and the benefits of quitting (remember – use text, film and pictures to maximise impact)
- Post personal testaments of individuals on the blog and/or Facebook Page who have succeeded in quitting, people with cancer and other smoking related problems. What did they do different? How would they grade the help on offer in terms of effectiveness? How have their lives changed?
- Post anti-smoking video/film of the sort traditionally broadcast at cinemas or on television on Youtube and embed in blog and/or Facebook Page like this one here
- Provide links to online quit smoking websites and apps such as though available from the UK NHS website – the Smoke free day counter such as this one here
- Provide list and information on local quit smoking help groups
- Alert smokers via twitter to quit smoking initiatives including the content listed so far
- Provide information on quit smoking aids (with the sponsorship of related suppliers)
- Encourage readers, viewers to post comments on their experiences related to smoking and quitting. Answer comments and foster conversation
Obesity
- Set up blog and/or Facebook pages outlining the risks of obesity (remember – use text, film and pictures to maximise impact)
- Post personal testaments of individuals who have succeeded in changing their eating habits and lifestyles to the better. What did they do different? How would they grade the help on offer in terms of effectiveness? How have their lives changed?
- Post dietary tips and recipes on the blog and/or Facebook Page
- Provide information on exercise and gyms in local areas
- Provide list and information on obesity help groups
- Alert target audience via twitter to new initiatives and related social media including the content listed so far
- Post anti-smoking video/film/animation of the sort traditionally broadcast at cinemas or on television on your organisation’s Youtube channel and embed them in blog and/or Facebook Page
- Provide links to online help provided by other agencies with similar aims
- Set up and link to playlists of music via blog and twitter that different users find inspirational to their exercise regimes – be quirky!
As you can see there is a good deal of overlap in content ideas. Can you think of more? Be inventive and look too at other ailments like diabetes, heart disease, strokes and prostate cancer and the ways in which they could be tackled through social media. Please share some in the comments section below.
Social media for health care professionals – part 2
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