In my own work, I use social media daily to search for information, share information, contact patients and collaborators, and promote and market my company. Increasingly, patients and clients are interacting with the provider through various social media such as Whatsapp, Facebook, Teams and Instagram. These channels can be used to communicate general information and instructions, but not confidential information, or to send documents or attachments related to the patient’s health. However, it is very common in everyday life for patients to send pictures or attachments via social media tools. This is perhaps more common for the millennial generation. The older generation is most likely to send emails.
I work for a private medical clinic, whose marketing is carried out through social media, among other things. It is a cheap, fast and personal way to communicate information about the company’s services and current issues. Marketing costs are a big expense for a small business, so free and comprehensive marketing channels such as social media are widely used. Social media pages can also be linked to referrals from other operators, so that advertising benefits not only the service provider but also its client companies.
Through YouTube, I searched a lot for guidance videos, instructions and lectures on healthcare equipment and products. There is also a comprehensive range of training courses on YouTube in different areas of healthcare. YouTube instructional videos can also be used for patient guidance; you can watch them together with the patient and also guide the patient to review the instructions on their own via YouTube. The videos can be used to prepare the patient for the upcoming procedure, so that prior information can help alleviate fear and uncertainty about the procedure.
TikTok can be a useful channel for dietary advice, for example, as it provides a lot of food advice and diet tips for various dietary problems. Patients can be inspired to be self-sufficient or try new recipes through the video platform. Peer support is an important motivator for learning new things.
LinkedIn is a good professional networking platform. It’s worth keeping your status up to date, especially if your goal is to find a new career or job. It’s also easy to find collaborators and partners through LinedIn. LinkedIn also gives your company global visibility.
Social media tools that I could adopt and use in my daily work.
IAudition (now called SafetyCulture)
A program to create checklists and forms. You can add time limits and priorities to tasks and assign tasks to employees. The program can be used to collect diagnostics on the tasks performed (graphs, etc.).
This could be a useful tool for creating different kinds of checklists and to-do lists in healthcare. For example, procedure instructions, hygiene instructions, supply lists, quality control lists and order lists. In healthcare, instructions are frequently updated and quality control is carried out in many different areas, so it should be easy to modify and distribute them to many different workplaces.
DeepL
An artificial intelligence translator that can be used to help your clients or for your own work. Often, healthcare equipment and products are manufactured in other countries. In such cases, manuals may be terse and in a foreign language, so they need to be translated into the native language to ensure patient safety. For foreign patients, the DeepL app can be used to translate patient instructions or narrative texts to help them understand the instructions and treatment plan they receive.
Whatsapp wix
Wix is a website creation service that allows you to add a link to whatsapp to your company website to facilitate contact. This could be a good addition to a company’s contact list, as whatsapp is already a familiar tool for many and used by 2 billion people. Any form of low-threshold contact is good publicity for the company and will increase patient contacts.
X
The messaging service X, formerly Twitter, could be a useful platform for sharing information about your business and current healthcare news in general. In addition, a global messaging service would have the advantage of providing not only a national but also a global database of information and contacts.
Slack
Slack is a modern and powerful communication channel. For example, you can divide channels by department within the company, so that information stays focused on a limited community. The tool allows for quick notifications, e.g. of shift changes, urgent patient cases or equipment problems. The platform can be used to set reminders for task lists or resource monitoring. Slack offers enterprise-level security, but patient data must be handled in strict compliance with GDPR and national regulations. Identifying patient data should not be shared directly in Slack. My company has multiple locations, so Slack would work well as a communication channel between employees working in different locations. Remote meetings would work through Slack. In my company, there are a lot of inter-professional meetings, and a lot of meetings between the company and client companies are held remotely. This tool could be well suited to a variety of meeting situations. Similarly, changes in human resources or service disruptions, for example, would reach all staff in real time.
The use of social media from both a positive and negative perspective.
At its best, social media brings people together and makes it easier to find information. On the negative side, however, it can be overwhelming, causing information overload and making it difficult to focus on what is important. Users can get lost in a constant stream of news, ads and entertainment, which can make time management and critical evaluation more important. This constant stream of stimuli can affect mood and increase stress, especially if the user feels the pressure to be constantly up to date. It is therefore important to choose applications or social media platforms for daily work use that are focused on or as efficient as possible in terms of their usage needs. The platform used should provide the tools and features needed for the intended use easily and quickly. Similarly, information search should be targeted, so that you don’t have to wade through too much irrelevant content to find the information you need. Social media tools should be easy to use and clear, so that as many customers as possible are able to use them. The needs of specific groups should also be taken into account.
Elements for successful use of digital apps
Successful use of digital applications requires that they facilitate the search for information and connect to new interests. The application must support the user’s needs. Applications should support productivity and not distract from what is important. Security and privacy are key, especially in the healthcare workplace. Applications should explain how user data is used and provide security features such as two-factor authentication and secure and encrypted storage of user data. The platform should be easy to use and navigate. Customizability to the user’s needs is also important for day-to-day work. Website maintenance and adjustment of notifications should be effortless to keep the company’s website up-to-date and informative.
Self-assessment.
Having worked for a long time in the private healthcare sector, I have noticed the growing popularity of social media in my field. Especially for small businesses, social media channels are an important form of marketing. Visibility on platforms is low cost and reach is wide. In addition, it is now easy to gather statistics on visitor numbers, popular posts, contacts that lead to purchases and activity spikes. Social media is used by every age group. Using multiple social media platforms to promote your business ensures visibility to younger age groups as well as senior citizens. Social media pages that are clear, informative and professional will give a credible impression of a company’s activities. Links to other national operators and up-to-date press releases also add credibility and interest. Listings of company staff and services on feeds often increase activity on the site. Personality and humanity are important promotional assets to stand out from other service providers.
There are differences in the social media habits of different age groups. Younger patients are more likely to use social media platforms or text messaging services to get in touch. These contacts can be about general instructions and policies as well as personal patient information. These contacts can sometimes be anonymous. Older people either call by phone or write emails, usually using their own name. Older people also often prefer to deal in person at the office rather than via social media.