Hospitals Quietly Lead the Way with Social Media
There has been a lot of buzz around how medical device and pharmaceutical brands are starting to explore social media. To see social media in action though, you may only need to look as far as a local hospital. In the United States, there are more than 360 hospitals actively using social media tools. As a group they have 186 YouTube channels and have created 267 Twitter accounts. Some real-world examples include:
- A patient being treated for a rare carcinoid cancer shared her experience via YouTube which generated enough requests for the surgery for a hospital to open a monthly clinic for the condition.
- Children's Hospital Boston launched the first health and science blog from a pediatric hospital called Thrive.
- A hospital near Detroit used Twitter to connect with almost 2,000 people to answer questions during brain surgery on a 47-year-old patient.
To read more about how hospitals are incorporating social media and why it matters, continue here.
Photo Credit: Rose Fire Rising