Case Study Analysis: Pros and Cons of Social Media Usage in Healthcare
Overview
As information technology continues to advance, social media takes on an innovative and exhilarating purpose. Social media is no longer being used just as a way to socialize and communicate with people of similar interests, gone are the days when social media was only used for communicating on Facebook, Twitter or MySpace with family and friends. Today companies recognize the value in social media, in marketing, public platforms, educational awareness, consumer feedback, and company branding. There is no doubt, that social media is changing every industry it touches, including the healthcare industry. Providers are now able to reach or establish relationships
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The Mayo Clinic declared a mission in reference to social media usage, as stated by Mayo Clinic “Lead the social media revolution in healthcare, contributing to health and wellbeing for people everywhere” (Mayo Clinic, 2010). And with a vision “Be the authentic voice for patients and health care professionals, building relationships through the revolutionary power of social media” (Mayo Clinic, 2010). Dominating the usage of social media in healthcare, Mayo Clinic was named in the 2013 Harris Poll EquiTrend (Harris Poll EquiTrend, 2013) survey as the top health information website, and continues to be today. Leveraging and enhancing its reputation as a trusted source for information, increasing its advocacy for patients to take more responsibility in the knowledge, decisions, and challenges of healthcare to increase healthy choices by …show more content…
Consumer recognition is achieved through the promotions on the social media sites, educating the consumer on services, information, events and products. With social media the quick response time received by the consumer has impacted the impression the engaged consumer has, creating a positive factor in future business for the company. And as seen with Mayo Clinic, providing a critical valued service to the consumer creates a “respected” recognition for the brand being promoted. Value has been seen in companies embracing social media through the value in sharing, collaborating, educating, and informational content. Consumers want in-depth and factual content from the healthcare provider’s social media sites. Maximizing the engagement of the patient, creating a content rich site, creating a positive area for the encouragement of feedback and creating a personal connection with the patient, is the driving factors of many healthcare providers currently embracing social media
For example, different departments focus on specific consumers groups in order to sell specific services like the HH providing advertising by way of the sports clubs in town to target and educate Moms and Dads while promoting the pediatric, orthopedic, and other services attempting to create relationships (Perkins 2015). Secondly, as HH Health System develops and possess state of the art technologies, focus shifts to the higher level professionals employed in Huntsville on Redstone Arsenal and NASA as well as advertising heart healthcare and services. Challengingly, healthcare providers must be able to relate to today’s consumer especially in the area of social media and mobile accessibility. HH Health system lagged behind in the ability to communicate with the “healthy” generation, consisting of people ranging from 18 to 40 years of age (Ingram 2015) Accordingly, in 2014, HH Health System contracted with Red Sage Communications to create a friendlier mobile design including all aspects of social
Randolph, S. A. (2012). Using Social Media and Networking in Health Care. Workplace Health & Safety, 60(1), 44-44.
Although social media have not become popular yet, the numbers of users are increasing. Humana is promoting the internal social media use, which is called Humana Point of Care (HPOC), which functions like other social media such as Facebook and Twitter. However, the HPOC is more private than other social media. The purpose of using the HPOC is to promote members’ health and care management. The members can invite anyone to their HPOCs. The person who is invited to the HPOC can share information with the member. For example, if the member invites his or her registered nurse to the HPOC to facilitate care management, the nurse can share articles that will benefit the
Liu, Kassity, and Andrew Segna, eds. "FDA and Social Media" The Impact of Social Media on Prescription Drug Advertising." . JOLT Digest: Harvard Journal of Law $ Technology, 25 11 2013. Web. 25 Feb 2014. .
These days’ health care systems are using social media to improve quality and safety of overall health care delivery, through access to information. Nurses as well as patients can get deta...
According to an article written by Scranton University, the positive affects that social media has on Healthcare
Take Two Aspirin And Tweet Me In The Morning: How Twitter, Facebook, And Other Social Media Are Reshaping Health Care. Health Affairs, 28, :361-368. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.28.2.361 Metcalf, T., & Metcalf, G. (Eds.). (2008). Perspectives on Diseases and Disorders: Obesity.
Effective communication in an organization is one of the components of its success. Managers are charged with navigating communication obstacles while making every effort to harness its benefits. This onus placed on managers is compounded by organizational advancements and the application of new technologies. One relatively new organizational technology being applied is the use of social media. Social media creates communication issues yet conversely alleviates specific communication barriers by playing several roles within organizations today.
While it can cause harm, technology has many good qualities. Health care facilities can work together efficiently to use social media to engage patients to maintain health care needs and promote treatment options worldwide. Healthcare professional can also teach other doctors and nurses through Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites. Social media can create innovation and gives the whole medical field a educational value which should be embraced. Phones are also used by patients to gain knowledge that can be used to better their own life: “19% of smartphone owners have at least one health app on their phone. Exercise, diet, and weight apps are the most popular types” (Penn,
Social media is an imperative public relations tool for companies to utilize in their business practices. Social media cannot be regulated so anyone can say what they please about the company, whether it is good, bad or ugly. Social media is developing rapidly and there are new platforms
Schurgin O'Keefe, MD, G., & Clarke-Pearson, MD, K. (2011). The impact of social media on
Social media is pertinent in use of communication throughout today’s organizations. There are many social media platforms that allow organizations to convey communication to potential consumers, stakeholders and the public. “It is essential for leaders to integrate these technologies and seek the best way to use social media and networks to the advantage of the business” (Billington, 2012, p.1). Business owners find that keeping up with current technology trends is essential in having a competitive advantage in the market place and having a strict set of standards and strategy is important in quickly adapting to social media trends.
Businesses can benefit from social media through cost reduction by reducing staff working hours and increasing revenue. Social media marketing is the fastest means of getting words out about a business or product, that is why eventually all businesses are buying the initiative. Most marketers who are already established in the new social media initiative are beginning to implement their own tactics, which has brought social media to a greater height than it was before. These popular websites could be a great approach for companies and customers to improve their communications by applying them to computers and mobile devices. Social media marketing is a term not really known by many people.
We can now connect with each other instantly over the internet. It is quicker and easier to communicate and share with each other now than it has ever been. Massive amounts of people access the internet every day, and a good number of them use social media. This means that the ability to use social media and use it well is crucial for modern businesses. Whether for public relations or advertising, social media is now one of the best ways to reach consumers.
In the end, social media provide a way of keeping in relations with friends, also allow many companies to reach a large number of costumers and to be more productivity. At the same time, media are changing the ways in which we communicate and interact with others. Social media is a very interesting thing in our life. It was made for the free exchange of lots of information all around the world without boundaries but we have to know well how and why to use these media.