2. INTRODUCTION
 Online healthcare communication
 Our data consistently show that doctors,
nurses, and other health professionals continue
to be the first choice for most people with
health concerns, but online resources,
including advice from peers, are a significant
source of health information in the U.S. (The
Social Life of Health Information from Pew
Internet & American Life, 2011)

3.  Social media use and health information
sharing
 23% of SNS users follow their friends’ personal
health experiences or updates on the sites.
 15% of SNS users get any health information on
the sites.
(The Social Life of Health Information, 2011)

4.  Healthcare providers – patients interaction
through SM
• 62.6% of U.S. hospitals have Twitter accounts.
• Doctors are increasingly using social media for
communicating with patients (Quantia MD
study, 2011).
• A group of “Connected Clinicians” use multiple
social media for both personal and professional
purposes (Quantia MD study, 2011).

5.  Top social media channels used in healthcare
communication (Quantia MD study, 2011)

6. How has social media changed
healthcare communication?

7. Listening from healthcare professionals
in U.S. and South Korea
 Why is the comparative study beneficial?
 The SM use in healthcare business at South Korea is
growing, but still in the beginning stage.
 Learning from the U.S. case

8. Catholic Medical
Center
in South Korea
Awarded the grand prize for the use of healthcare social
media for 2 years in a row (2010-2011)

9. Healthcare Social
Media Consultant
LeAnna J. Carey @thehealthmaven
http://www.symplur.com/healthcare-social-media-consultants/leanna-j-carey-
mba/

10. Healthcare Blogger
John Lynn
From Healthcare Scene
http://www.healthcarescene.com
@ehrandhit

11. Q1. What is the key role of social media in
physician-patient interaction?

12.  Empower and Engage
• Facilitate the connection between
physicians and patients
• Create online presence for physicians and
strengthen their ties through communities
• Help patients to understand the various
healthcare options available to them and
get the best care

13. LeAnna J. Carey
“The key role of social media is to make
physicians to engage with patients…to provide
healthcare information in between office visits…
to empower patients toward positive health and
lifestyle decisions.”

14. Q2. Among various social media channels, what
is the most effective tool for enhancing
healthcare communication?

15.  Each tool has its own purpose.
• Facebook for content sharing and building
communities
Useful for physician-patient interaction
• Twitter for networking and education
Useful for physician-physician interaction

16. John Lynn
“It depends on the goal you're trying to
achieve. Each tool has its own
place. Facebook has more people and
the things people do on Facebook are
seen more by their friends and
associates. Twitter is great for education
and meeting new people that are
interesting.”

17. Q3. What is the healthcare hashtag project?
What are the benefits of this project for
healthcare providers and patients?

18.  The Healthcare Hashtag Project
http://www.symplur.com/healthcare-hashtags
• Organizing healthcare content into one place
• #HITsm : Meeting for discussion of healthcare
industry trends and social media influence on
those initiatives
• #HCSM: The first regular hashtag chat related
to healthcare, created in January 2009

19. • From a healthcare business perspective
- It tells you who you need to be networking
with.
• From a patient perspective
- It guides you on how to find credible info.

20. Q4. (For Catholic Medical Center)
How has the Korean healthcare industry used
social media as a tool for communication?

21.  Not entirely two-way communication
Still informative
 Emerging field, but more systematic
social media planning is required.

22. Q5. How do you predict the future direction of
social media use in healthcare
communication?

23.  Need to create more sharable content tailored to
patients’ needs and interests
 Pay more attention to the patient-centered
perspectives
 Some concerns : legal issues related to patients’
privacy

24. John Lynn
“I'd suggest that we're just at the beginning of what
social media will do for healthcare. Our current
laws weren't created with social media in mind,
and so there are currently some barriers and a lot
of unknowns about what's legal ok with some of
healthcare social media. Regardless of the form
and the delivery tool, social media is about
connecting people. Almost every aspect of
healthcare can benefit from better connections to
the right people.”

25. SUMMARY
 Healthcare communication go social.
 Multiple social media channels for different uses
 Physician-physician interaction is more prevalent,
patients-centered communication needs to increase
 In spite of undiscovered factors such as legal
issues,
social media can benefit us for creating better
connections with the right people.