Category: #HCSM

As in all healthcare domains, social media can play a critical role when it comes to clinical trial planning, execution, and optimization. …

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.clinicalleader.com

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Social media is a virtual platform in which people interact, create and share content, information, ideas and views using online tools and related networks

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What makes your healthcare brand a credible resource? Here are 8 tips for building trust on social media. It’s easy to be leery about most of the things you read — online and in the real world. We’…

Sourced through Scoop.it from: pinpoint-for-health.com

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Social media has done a lot of good for the world—it has become a platform to reconnect with friends and family, gives a voice to those who would otherwise not have one, and also helps people spread information to one another. One of the biggest flaws, however, is that social media can also be used to spread misinformation. Many posts often go viral without any background information, mostly in the form of memes and videos, and people are quick to jump on liking and sharing posts without having full knowledge or context of what they are sharing.

One of the biggest pieces of misinformation that has been spread is the link between autism and vaccines. While the link between vaccinating children and autism has been thoroughly debunked (one study had 95,000 participants), many still believe that there is a link. Celebrities such as actor Jim Carrey and model Jenny McCarthy are at the forefront of the anti-vaccination movement, and their influence allows misinformation regarding autism and vaccines to continue.

It has even gotten to the point where several children were infected with measles at Disneylandbecause of parents’ refusal to vaccinate their children. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that measles was eliminated from the United States in 2000, yet 644 people were infected in 2014, showing that misinformation on social media might play a part in parents refusing to vaccinate their kids.

Doctors have been split on whether or not to be active on social media—some say that it’s a waste of time, citing that there is no return on investment and significant burnout, while others believe social media can be the tool to help patients to become healthier and also stop misinformation from spreading online. “Studies suggest that patients forget more than 50 percent of what they are told in the doctor’s office. Add to that misremembering or misinterpretation, and the information holes grow even larger,” said Dr. Howard Luks, Chief of Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy at University Orthopedics, PC and Westchester Medical Center on KevinMD, a popular medical blog.

Dr. Kathryn A. Hughes, a Massachusetts-based surgeon, used to be skeptical of doctors being active on social media, citing privacy concerns and professionalism. “Be mindful of privacy and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which governs patient privacy), and aware that content once posted can never really be deleted or retracted. Be careful that private and professional content do not mix, although the reality is that there really isn’t any such thing as truly private content,” she said.

Dr. Hughes also said that doctors being active on social media can also create a community of professionals where doctors can share information with one another and work together. “I also see social media as part of the solution to reestablish this sense of community and collegiality among doctors. Technology and the platforms being developed and tailored to physicians may re-create that space, where communication and collaboration can grow,” she added.

Lawmakers are also assisting doctors in their fight against medical misinformation. California’s SB 277, which effectively removes the parents’ ability to claim “personal belief” exemptions to vaccination requirements at schools, was passed as a reaction to the measles outbreak at Disneyland. While part of the measles outbreak could be blamed on misinformation being spread on social media, doctors could have taken charge and refuted anti-vaccination groups more actively online.

“Times are changing. Change happens all the time, all around, inside and out. It is random, with no direction, both good and bad, like genetic mutations. This is our opportunity to engage and participate, to direct the change, and to make it progress,” said Dr. Hughes.

 

Sourced through Scoop.it from: thetoggle.com

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Several hospitals are blazing trails with Twitter’s live-streaming platform. Let’s look at how three providers are delivering health and wellness to patients via real-time video. 

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In the main, there is a reluctance within the pharmaceutical industry to utilize social media. Since there is no easy method to measure the return on investment and mitigate any risks to the bottom line, it is understandable that executives doubt the power of social media. Pharma is a business after all. Since the industry is highly regulated, some pharma executives are fearful of the loss of information control and any damaging events it may give rise to.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: social.eyeforpharma.com

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Don’t just preach at your audience, but engage them, get them involved and always promptly reply to outreach. Social media isn’t a soapbox, but a tool for engagement. It’s a two-way street.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.mpowermed.com

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It’s been said that healthcare lags behind other industries in its use of social media by at least two years. however, despite the (sometimes vague) guidance from the FDA, and the uncertainty that feeds legal and regulatory risk, pharma has been making strides showing understanding of the technology, and announcing its presence on social media. T

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Many pharma companies remain concerned about running afoul of the regulators with their online activities and therefore have not yet fully embraced new channels. However, increasingly patients want and expect them to engage, and those that have are…

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.pharmaphorum.com

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I’ve discussed in the Ad Spread the use of social media for the luxury retail industry as well as for museums. Today’s topic: the healthcare industry.

Companies in the B2C sector use social media for Big Data in order to get insights on their consumers to identify new needs and explore new market opportunities. This can also be done for the healthcare sector – which the industry is slowing acknowledging and implementing.

Many users use the Internet and Social Media to find out about symptoms they may have or side effects related to medication they are taking. In 2012, the Health Research Institute (HRI) conducted a study which found that one-third of consumers were using social media for health-related matters. It also indicated that these consumers were usually choosing to research information on “community” sites over industry specialized sites. RISK: they may have access to false information.

“Social media terms such as liking, following, tagging, can provide the clues that could lead to higher quality care, more loyal customers, efficiency, and even revenue growth” (HRI, 2012). Social media could therefore help Health Organizations and departments to identify this and communicate the right information as well as suggest possible prevention procedures through keyword search, hashtags and creating a page/profile on various social networks where users can ask, engage and be informed on current health matters. Another option is to ask Health Specialists participate in external forums to reduce the risk of misleading information and generate awareness about industry approved websites.

There are current talks between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Google about how the search engine could help the agency identify unknown side effects of medications (Bloomberg, 2015). This project could go a long way in terms of minimizing and tracking health risks, and reaching out to patients with possible side effects.

One thing health organizations must be weary of is providing too much information. Indeed, doctors should not be providing medical assistance to patients through social media and they would be liable for wrongful practice.

Source: http://healthy-lifestyle.most-effective-solution.com/

All in all, social media can benefit the healthcare industry in the following ways:

– Averting Crises: implementing a “social media watch” and creating alerts on particular search terms could help avoid a major crisis

– Prevention: communicating proper procedures and guidelines to avoid a virus / disease contamination as well as reliable websites that industry-approved

-Educate users: provide information on the latest medical news regarding diseases, new cures, and prevention methods

Sources:

Tozzi, John, and Dina Bass. ‘Your Google Searches Could Help The FDA Find Drug Side Effects’. Bloomberg.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 26 July 2015.

Social Media “Likes” Healthcare From Marketing To Social Business. PWC, 2012. Web. 26 July 2015. Health Research Institute.

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