Watch this first:
In less than nine months Facebook added 100 million users. Today, if Facebook were country, it would be the fourth largest in the world.That single social media platform alone is a big-red flashing light to those who haven’t jumped on the social media train, to get your ticket asap.
You might be saying to yourself: what does social media have to do with healthcare? Considering the general technology lag in healthcare, surprisingly a lot. Some of the biggest names in the healthcare sector are utilizing social media like never before. They’re tweeting and blogging about everything from a fast-spreading virus to advice on how to lose that pesky baby weight. On the grassroots level, social media has become a support group for patients with chronic diseases and sparked a revolution for patient participation in medical care.
According to a report on chronic disease and the internet commissioned by the (Pew Institute and American Life Project), those suffering from chronic diseases are more likely to take advantage of social media than those who don’t. They’re also more likely to take part in blogs and forums with their peers. This means social media is more than just a status update or a funny video. Some 60 million consumers are using new media to interact and share their health experiences online to better serve themselves and future viewers. The next step is for healthy patients, doctors, nurses, hospitals and payor’s to join the conversation too.
FAST FACTS:
- 216 US hospitals use social media
- 83 hospitals have a Facebook page
- 132 have Twitter accounts
Now that I’m on to week two at Practice Fusion, I am strategizing our social media plan and outlining the next steps. I am also thinking about “why does social media in healthcare matter?” How do you think social media should play a role in healthcare?
For inspiration, let’s take a quick look at the Mayo Clinic, a medical organization that tops the list of social media innovators.
Word of mouth used to be the one of their biggest driving forces used to build their brand, yet now the Mayo Clinic has built a virtual word of mouth machine. What they offer:
- Facebook: Over 25,000 people are fans of Mayo Clinic on Facebook. From the Mayo Clinic Facebook page, patients can request an appointment, share medical stories and access over 100 online videos.
- Blogs: Mayo offers a variety of “expert” blogs for patients with various concerns to access and join in on, giving patient’s advice and tips. For instance, if you want to find out more about Alzheimer’s disease, Mayo’s blog page offers basic and in-depth symptoms and information, plus multimedia such as videos and photo slideshows.
- Podcasts: Tune into the Mayo Clinic online to hear audio and video interviews on everything from diabetes to quitting smoking. The medical center started podcasting in 2005.
- Social Media Center: The Mayo Clinic takes their social media seriously enough to dedicate an entire center toward their communication. On this site, they call social media the largest communication development since Gutenberg’s printing press.
You can quickly imagine what the future looks like for a doctor communicating with colleagues through social media or a patient getting quick, personal answers online. The whole new form of networking will create viral relationships, relationships between those ready to diagnose and those in need of solution.
As geeky as it sounds I get excited just thinking about what the future holds and the ways social media will transform the healthcare sector. It’s a good thing I have a front row seat at Practice Fusion to watch it all come alive.
Shea Steinberg
Jr. Social Media Specialist
