subject: Healthcare Social Media: Are We Becoming Overexposed? [print this page] Thanks in large part to the explosion of social media, we might have become overexposed Our love lives, life status, travel plans, children, work issues are just a few of the areas that can be seemingly freely explored by the world
What about our ailments, diseases and health records? Surely, the rise of healthcare social media particularly as communities of patients share information on their afflictions, medications and so forth could be an area of concern.
What does this mean for hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical companies and others operating within the healthcare ecosystem? Can the rise of healthcare social media impact their reputations or the sales of their products and services? Sure it can Erroneous or deliberately misleading commentary on various healthcare social media sites has the potential to destroy corporate reputations
Doctors, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and other purveyors of healthcare need to be vigilant to protect their reputations and should have in place a crisis plan dedicated to monitoring Healthcare Social Media sites. Given the speed at which information travels these days via healthcare social media sites, a reputation that has taken years to build can be destroyed in a matter of minutes
Should something problematic emerge on a healthcare social media site here are some things you need to have in place to be fully prepared:
*Vigilance. If youre not doing so now, start You need to have a mechanism in place to monitor healthcare social media sites to know whats being said and who is saying it.
*Rapid Response Team. Should something appear on a healthcare social media site that is inaccurate or potentially harmful, you need to be able to respond quickly and with facts to repudiate negative and false information. Members of the team should include representatives from various product groups as well as legal and compliance personnel.
*Warehouse Allies. Be prepared to marshal your allies (e.g., doctors, KOLs, advocacy groups, etc.) to respond in your defense after an appropriate briefing on a matter that may have arisen on health social media site.
*Make Your Voice Heard. If your company is victimized by problematic discussions on healthcare social media sites, it is important that your voice be heard and that the true facts are widely disseminated.
We live in a world of increasing transparency and rapid communications, which require extra vigilance and preparedness.
