The healthcare industry is falling behind when it comes to adapting to social media technologies and strategies. Professionals have even estimated the gap to be as big as 10 years. While other industries are fiercely engaging in conversations with customers and users, Doctor Offices and Hospitals have been more than cautious when approaching social media, with the vast majority of them completely avoiding it. What they don't realize is that healthcare is really not that different from all other industries; patients are still talking about their experiences with hospitals and physicians and the conversation is going on strong without them.
Besides the obvious customer care oriented benefits of including social media in any medical practice, there is also the fact that patients have already been searching for health information online and there results are not always moderated by a physician. Very few doctors are available to offer clarity and knowledge and as a result patients tend to self-medicate based on information provided by someone across the globe who may or may not have any relevant medical knowledge.
The main reason why healthcare professionals haven't added social media to their practice is accountability. While 60% of physicians and 65% of nurses are interested in using social networks for professional purposes[1], the risk associated with sharing inaccurate health information and dissemination of content by a healthcare professional or student is enough stop any initiative. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has made it even more challenging for health care professionals to participate in online conversations. Not only that, but privacy concerns have also been raised by both parties, patients do not want to have their information disclosed and doctors do not feel comfortable blurring boundaries between their personal and professional lives.
So why, then, is it imperative for healthcare professionals to break into social media? Because the risks of not being involved far outweigh the risks of being part of it. Not understanding this space or refusing to engage with it is no longer a valid reason for ignoring it.
Patients or employees could be bashing your name, your institution, your methodology online already and you have no clue and no control over what's being said! And as many of you may know, patients will listen to "someone like me" more than they'll listen to their healthcare providers, celebrities or politicians. Thus, if a forum has been build where your brand name is being abused by people who did said they did business with you, others will believe them by default. You need to care about what is being said and where it's being said.
How do you monitor for all these entries?
The first step is to utilize a social media monitoring tool. It will scan the internet for predetermined keywords you choose and it will return every mention of those keywords it can find online. We are talking about blogs, comments, Facebook posts, tweets, video comments, forums, news, press releases, mobile apps and more.
Next, you need to set up a Reputation Management Plan. Click here to read more on how it can help you save your reputation when an online crisis hits home. Hospitals, independent medical practices, small clinics, they all need to have one in order to avoid a PR disaster. Think about it as your contingency plan, a set of steps to follow when something goes wrong. You have a plan for viral contamination, think of social media risks as a potential virus that can easily cripple your organization. As part of your plan, you should know what social media sites are being used to talk about your company; do you have a presence on each? Are you actively participating and monitoring this conversation?
Once something is posted online it is there for all to see and even if the original post is deleted you can be sure that the sharing won't stop. If the content goes "viral" you can be sure that managing the risks will be almost impossible as the damage can be done within minutes.
A good reputation management plan should be tailored to the organization and the right social media monitoring tools and expertise are essential to prevent any damage and protect your business as well as your patients.