When it comes to health, making informed decisions couldn’t be more important.

It doesn’t matter if a patient wants to undergo a simple annual check-up, a cancer screening, or an appearance-enhancing plastic surgery procedure; choosing the right hospital can literally mean the difference between life and death.

Most experts agree that the first step to choosing a hospital is performing a quality check. According to WebMD, patients should do their research beforehand by answering the following questions:

 

1. Does the hospital meet national quality standards?
2. How does the hospital compare with others in my area?
3. Does the hospital have experience with my condition?
4. Has the hospital had success with my condition?
5. How well does the hospital check and improve on its own quality of care?

These are all great questions, especially when looking for a health care provider, except one thing is missing: social media.

According to internationally based hospital market research organization, YouGov Healthcare, a hospital’s social media presence has become a very important factor for patients making decisions about where to receive medical treatment.

The company’s recent survey titled, Consumers’ Use, Preference and Expectations of Hospital Social Media, studied this very topic, and in the end, came up with some very interesting results:

◆ 57 percent said that a social media connection with a hospital was likely to have a strong impact on their decision to seek treatment at that hospital.

◆ 1 in 4 consumers said that they are likely to connect with hospitals in the future.

◆ Those most likely to connect are women between the age of 36 and 64.

◆ 81 percent of consumers believe that if a hospital has a strong social media presence, they are likely to be more cutting edge, creating a halo effect across clinical functions.

Wait just a second. Because a hospital is making updates on Facebook and Twitter, it’s considered technologically advanced?

This may sound far-fetched, but it’s the truth. The Internet has become the go-to resource for every subject under the sun, especially health care. The scary thing is, just about any Average Jane or Joe can go online, and start giving out medical advice, which is why it’s so important for actual health care professionals to be involved and provide trusted, accurate information to patients.

FierceHealthcare interviewed YouGov Healthcare Managing Director Jane Donohue about the results of the survey, and she said hospitals should be fully involved in social media to really make a positive impact; because even if a hospital has the latest technology and brightest surgeons, what good will it do without any promotion?

“What people are looking for online is information about the hospital, about programs, about activities, about very specific health concerns; they want to learn about it. Posting press releases is great; it’s a marvelous place to do that, but an effective successful site will be much more than that,” she said.

Based on the outcome of this survey, social media has proven once again to be a powerful way for hospitals to endorse their services, doctors, and successes.

Of course, this does take a real investment of time, thought and organization; so much that many consider it a full-time job. Fortunately, there are many trusted companies, like WhereismyDoctor.com, that provide social media marketing services specifically for doctors and hospitals worldwide.

Donohue explained, “Social media needs a [full-time equivalent]. To just throw this at someone in marketing or communications as an add-on could be shortsighted. This is an incredibly powerful tool to create and sustain loyalty, and therefore enhance the lifetime value of the patient. It’s a great opportunity to do right; it can be very effective.”

To learn more about how social media can positively affect your hospital or practice, visit WhereismyDoctor.com today.