For the better part of the Social Era physicians have
decried the use of social media among their target demographic: grownups and
the elderly. But guess what? Dads, Moms and even Grandma are all up in social
media tools like Facebook and it’s time you connected with her there.
In fact, a recent Pew Internet Research study found that 71%
of adults online are on Facebook and that’s up from this time last year.
Really, parents and grandparents are the only real growth areas for Facebook
with 45% of people 65 years and older using Facebook. However, it’s not the
only site to see growth.
Twitter saw growth among adults. But it’s Pinterest that has
the most momentum as over 1/3 of all women surveyed about online use report using the image and
idea sharing platform to curate inspiration, health tips, recipes, fashion and
other topics – often from people like you.
Okay, let’s admit it. Most of the people offering these bits
of hope and information are not nearly as well qualified as you to share ideas
in a way that might lead to improved health.
I’m going to guilt you into this. You should be using social
media if for no other reason than to make sure that at least some of what women
are curating makes sense in the context of a healthy lifestyle.
Hey when grandma falls down and can’t get up, we want her to
have a button to push for help. But when we’re trying to coach mothers,
grandmothers and other adults we’re willing to let the purveyors of gimmicks
lead the way. It’s time for an intervention.
Want more evidence in the case for your being present online?
From a recent study, 54% of patients are very comfortable with
their providers seeking advice from online communities to better treat their
conditions. It’s evidence that many trust that crowd sourcing of information
from other likeminded individuals is reliable. This shows how people perceive social media to be beneficial for the exchange of information about their
health. Why shouldn’t you be the one from whom they curate it?
Need a business reason?
41% of people said social media would affect their choice of a
specific doctor, hospital, or medical facility. This shows that social media can be a vehicle to help scale positive
word of mouth, which makes it an important channel for an individual or
organization in the health care industry to focus on in order to attract and
retain patients. Consumers are using social media to discuss everything in
their lives including health and it is up to your organization to choose whether
it’s time to tune in.
How about peer pressure?
Lest you think it’s just patient talking, here’s this from professionals
like you: 60% of doctors say social media improves the quality of care
delivered to patients.
Wow! So there are doctors (maybe you’re one of
them) who believe that the transparency and authenticity that social media
helps spur is actually improving the quality of care provided to patients.
So if you’re still saying, “My patient demographic and providers
like me don’t take social media seriously” and that “neither patient or doctor
is there” – I say, oh yes they are.
Want to talk about it? Hit me up on twitter @timbigfish
