Hey Doc, Oh Yes They Are

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

Hey Doc, Meet Dr. Google

According to Pew Internet Research, nearly 35 percent of U.S. adults turn to "him" for answers to health concerns. And that number doubles when you consider those who look to his less specialized brothers Google and Bing. However, they can't turn to any of them for empathy or integrated care. They don't know if he shares their core values. And he will never be at a their civic club or PTA meeting.

Still, there's much to be learned from Dr. Google’s existence.  Such as:

1.       Some things are hard to talk about.

Many adults leverage the anonymity of the web to search for answers to those hard to ask questions about their health. Some of the questions are just too uncomfortable to discuss with even the closest of friends, family or a spouse. Do you know what those hard to ask questions are? Do you offer any sort of local, personal insight in a way that's easy to access even without or before an appointment?

2.       I can take care of myself. Maybe.

About a third of those who seek help from Dr. Google, his colleagues at WebMD, or by peeking through some other health portal, end up handling the problem on their own. That represents some risk for their well-being and frankly, your bottom line. Oh you're probably not going to turn that number around completely. But you’re in it for the sake of the patient. A connection with you might lead to an eventual appointment and could subsequently help them to identify some peripheral issue that led to their health concern. This could make a genuine difference in their health.

3.       I have this friend who, no really.

Many of Dr. Google’s inquiries are from those who are trying to learn more about an issue that's affecting their family or friend. Some 60 percent of U.S. adults from the Pew Internet Research piece say they’re looking to gain an understanding of a friend or family member’s condition in an effort to provide comfort or some other form of support.

Are you enabling a support network with answers that don't compromise patient confidentiality but inform those who give care at home?

Look, Dr. Google exists because there is a need. And many of your peers agree with his diagnosis 4 out of 10 times.

But you know what? You can make Dr. Google and the lessons learned from this exercise work for you. Here are two things that you can do right away.

1. Build a website. Yes, these are still relevant. But it must address the difficult issues and most common concerns of your patient community not just physician profiles and office hours. If you really want to make a relevant site, enhance it with a utility that enables interaction with you or the appropriate person on your staff. Maybe that Nurse Practitioner who sees the first tier of patients can now interact with others online.

2. Create a social media presence and use it. Building is not the same as doing. Your presence need not offer diagnosis or dispense medical advice. And it shouldn’t be one that copies content from everyone else. However, it should share information that is helpful to others, demonstrate your core values, and present the culture within your practice.

Hey Doc, here’s the best news in all of the hype about Dr. Google - patients with serious concerns still consider doctors the main and best source of information. 

Be encouraged but not complacent. The best of both worlds would find you available online to, if nothing else, direct patients and those who care about them toward trustworthy resources. Do that and Dr. Google becomes just another part of your team. He’s a health information partner. Meanwhile you tend to the 70 percent of us who say that what we want when it really matters is – you.

Want to talk about it? Find me at www.twitter.com/timbigfish 

Hey Doc, Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Lion and Scarecrow each had a need. To know the way home, to have a heart, to have courage and to have a brain were the things each thought if achieved would make their situation better. They were delighted to learn that there was someone who might have within his know-how the ability to see those hopes fulfilled. To find him, they had to know the way. To achieve their goals, they had to connect with him.

Finding You

The yellow brick road isn’t what it used to be. In the past, the way to find you might have been through the phone book, a web search or the occasional referral.  Dorothy had the Good Witch and Munchkins on her side. “Follow the yellow brick road,” they said. Your patient’s yellow brick road is social media.

Healthcare research tell us that:

• Over one-third of consumers use social media for health-related activities
• 40% seek reviews of treatments, physicians, and other patient experiences
• 45% say information from social media sources affects their decisions

The Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow heard about The Wizard through Dorothy as she made her way along the yellow brick road. Hey, one good referral begets another. Today those referrals happen at the speed of “like” and the yellow brick road that your patient is traveling is social media.

Overcoming Adversity

Like Dorothy's journey, the road to your patient’s goal is wrought with challenges. These include bad information sources, consumers with negative experiences and others with special interests (no, I’m not going to call the pharmaceutical companies the Wicked Witch or insurers her flying monkeys). Dorothy would occasionally get a word from the Good Witch to keep her going. Dorothy trusted her. Likewise, your patients need an ongoing connection with someone. They trust you.

• 73% would welcome social media based tools to make appointments or ask a question
• Consumers are much more likely to trust social media information from their doctors or hospital, less likely to trust insurers or drug companies (oops, I wasn’t suppose to mention them).
• Patients want you there for them in sickness and health. Yet 70 percent say their doctor has never checked on them when they weren't sick in order to help them stay healthy. 

Social media is driving these expectations and could be the avenue for meeting it.

Knowing You’re Real, Involved and Have Answers

At first, the Wizard tried to bluff Dorothy and her companions. Of course we know that’s not you. But the 21^st century version of this is the unwillingness to share information – even if the information is tough to reckon with. Heck, the Wizard told Dorothy and her friends that they’d have to kill the Wicked Witch to achieve their goals. Your patient is often fighting no less real an advisory in the form of some chronic disease. But like Dorothy and company, they’re up to it if that’s what you prescribe. Don’t send them out alone. Your being involved will improve the likelihood of their success and could even impact your bottom line.

Keep in mind these folks aren’t simply social, they’re social and on-the-go. Communicating along the yellow brick road requires some connectivity. What’s that mean?

•  Surveys say 25 percent of people forget to take medications as prescribed. You can have a  positive impact on health and reduce costs with something as simple as a text message.
•  Nearly 20 percent of patients cancel or miss appointments, at an average cost of $236 per. You can improve this via mobile and social connections for patients who are hard to reach and want varied modes of interaction
• With 50 percent of U.S. citizens on smartphones today and 40 million U.S. consumers coming under coverage with the Affordable Care Act, you have to make social/mobile part of your strategy.

We know how the story ends. Dorothy makes it home. The Lion gets his courage. The Tin Man his heart. And the Scarecrow his brain. Thriving patients with realized expectations. But the good news doesn’t end there. The Wizard gets what he wants as well. A little less time behind the curtain and a little more time to see the world.

Let's talk. I'm on twitter as @timbigfish or email me tim@gobigfishgho.com