PROJECT 1: Using microblogging and blogging technologies: This project requires you develop an understanding of how to use microblogging tools. A content analysis concerning the use of these technologies by Hospitals and Health Care Organizations is required.
I chose to following the Following Healthcare institutions' Twitter accounts:
Scripps Health covers many things in their Tweets, such as answering patients’ inquiries, announcements of new services, promotions for giveaways, and general health advice.
Sampling of Tweets:
Dec 2: Last chance to enter! Tell us how u r staying healthy this holiday season & win 2 tix to the 12/4 mens Aztecs basketball game! Ends 12/1.
Dec 1: Should YOU be taking a daily aspirin? http://bit.ly/gIoUPr
Nov 19: New play explores how families communicate during cancer; free performances Nov. 19-20 at Scripps Mercy Hospital.http://bit.ly/9dhG9U
Nov 10: @DanielRoyce This has been received by Scripps Human Resources.
Oct 25: Most doctors are behind the learning curve on genetic tests... Fromusatoday.com, our Dr. Topol contributed: http://usat.ly/dorM42
Sept 27: New Look at Racial Disparities in Head, Neck Cancerhttp://bit.ly/9oXDLD
Bio: We're Henry Ford, We Can. Opened account on December 17, 2008
Henry Ford News Tweets mainly service announcements and health related blog posts and articles. There are no direct @replies/mentions to any patients or followers.
Sampling of Tweets:
Dec 1: Meet Dr Robot. @TIME interviews Dr Mani Menon to discuss how robotics at Henry Ford is changing the future of medicinehttp://goo.gl/eSiYu
Nov 23: Henry Ford Health System introduced free smartphone app to help guide patients to nearest ER or urgent care-download apphttp://goo.gl/lDPcJ
Nov 10: Henry Ford Expands Tech Center in Rochester Hillshttp://goo.gl/fb/crrFr
Oct 8: Henry Ford Sets Goal of 5,000 Organ Donor Pledgeshttp://bit.ly/aCb98h
Bio: The official Twitter account of Alegent Health. Managed by @joshdilo, @meganrocks, @mpjeno and @MikeKasworm. Account opened December 19, 2008.
Alegent Health’s Tweets are mainly annoucement and health-related articles.
Sampling of Tweets:
Dec 2: Gratitude is all about attitude - but at the end of the day, it could all affect on your health. http://bit.ly/fWJH1e
Nov 24: Are scare tactics the best tactics when it comes to your health?http://bit.ly/eWlhRp
Nov 11: Learn to recognize the warning signs for concussion and you could save someone's life. http://bit.ly/aNKb1t
Oct 29: From Flintstones to One-A-Days - do we really need vitamins?http://bit.ly/anT0VC
Oct 22: Offering a sneak peek of our new extended hours campaign to our FB fans - log on for your first look! http://on.fb.me/c2GSxs
Bio: Inspiring stories, health tips, and ways to help kids -- from Children's National Medical Center
Children’s Health Tweets to patients and doctors (answering questions and sending out “thank you” messages), announces new services and promote health-related blog posts and articles.
Sampling of Tweets:
Dec 5: Since our founding #140years ago, we've grown from 12 beds to 283 beds
Dec 5: In 1870, 20 women pledged their support to Children’s Hospital & created Board of Lady Visitors #140years
Nov 30: @drjengunter We do not use auto-follow messages, and we will look into why this is happening. Sorry.
Nov 27: Foster child's history, symptoms a mystery via @johnkelly@washingtonpost http://wapo.st/ejudU6
Oct 26: Thanks! RT @stephenjatdell Children's National Twitter site is testament to how social media can work to inform & inspire communities #hcsm
Bio: St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. Account Opened Dec 4, 2008.
St. Jude Tweets about health-related issues, announcements, answers @replies and followers, but also tweets about non-health topics, such as sports.
Sampling of Tweets:
Dec 5: The Saints’ last second win puts Markell and @NFLONFOX’s TB at a perfect 3-0! See if they can keep it going athttp://tinyurl.com/23zmlqy.
Nov 29: Check out the great deals at the St. Jude Cyber Monday Sale. For today only, save up to 49% on selected gifts! http://bit.ly/3vq7HG
Nov 25: Happy Thanksgiving from the kids of St. Jude!
Nov 17: Smoking cessation program open to cancer survivors who need help quitting the habit http://bit.ly/cuYA7d
Oct 4: Meet Darcy. She's the Patient of the Month for Octoberhttp://bit.ly/aWj5I2
Bio: Excellent integrated group health care practice. Acct maintained by @leeaase. Following not = endorsement. To request follow, tweet @mayoclinic. Account Opened August 1, 2008.
Mayo Clinic Tweets announcements of upcoming radio shows, events by their affiliated doctors, and encourages followers to ask health-related questions. Informative health Tweets ranging a broad spectrum of topics.
Sampling of Tweets:
Dec 4: Dr. Petersen says, from a dietary perspective, what is good for the heart is good for the brain. http://cot.ag/gIB1zn #mayoradio
Nov 20: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge Weekend starting now! Tweet your ?s about Diabetes to Dr. Rizza #mayoradio
Nov 19: What do infectious diseases, Hawaii, and Randall Edson, M.D., all have in common? Check it out here: http://bit.ly/8Z726d. -#MayoSTIM
Nov 13: Carpal tunnel is when there is too much pressure placed on the median nerve. #mayoradio
Oct 30: Go to the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center websitehttp://www.mayoclinic.org/ndc-rst/ #mayoradio
Bio: News from University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centerk. Account Opened Dec 19, 2008.
MD Anderson News Tweets aren’t very frequent and focus on cancer-related announcements and health information, as well as political legislation regarding cancer and radio shows of doctors speaking. They often RT other Doctors Tweets.
Sampling of Tweets:
Nov 4: Texas Center for Cancer Nanomedicine Targets Two Tough Cancers http://is.gd/gNneV
Oct 14: Dr Bart Barlogie myeloma challenge to determine high-low risk at baseline @ http://www.hm2010.org/
Sept 21: UT MD Anderson Brings Anti-Smoking Message to SE Texas At-risk Youths http://is.gd/flr7F
Sept 17: Welcome to new MD Anderson MD's using twitter to spread the word @DrCesarNunez in Pediatrics and @JackARothMD in Thoracic #FF
Sept 14: MD Anderson doctors Stand Up To Cancer | khou.com | Khou.com - Video khou.com/video/featured…
Bio: Design and construction of Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley to replace Eden Medical Center. Account Opened Nov 3, 2008.
Sutter Eden Med Tweets are sporadic. There are sometimes many in a day, or few in an entire week. Their tweets cover a wide variety of topics, including overall health and wellness, hospital news, discussion starters, and articles from other sources pertaining to healthcare news.
Sampling of Tweets:
Dec 2: http://fb.me/N3hEwiM8
Nov 22: It's official! Our new hospital will carry on the name Eden Medical Center. http://www.suttereden.org
Nov 15: The Great American Smokeout is Thursday, November 18th! Make a commitment to stop smoking or if you don’t smoke,... http://fb.me/HWo1vE1E
Nov 9: Eden Medical Center will hold a free Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Vaccination Clinic on Tuesday, November 30,... http://fb.me/INndsXAk
Bio: The official Twitter account of the Columbia University Department of Surgery. Managed by site editor Brad Jobling. Account Opened May 15, 2009.
Columbia Surgery Tweets are quite frequent, averaging at around 10 per day. Their tweets cover a broad range of topics, from particular surgical procedures, awareness of diseases and charity events aimed at curing said diseases, to articles published by the establishment pertaining to specific conditions and advice on how to properly manage them. Nearly all of their content is original.
Sampling of Tweets:
Dec 18: Is it difficult to control your blood sugar if you have diabetes? http://bit.ly/96Xwa0 #diabetes
Dec 16:
Breast cancer Wellness Series provides strengthening and positive experiences in the fight against breast cancer. http://bit.ly/hujw73
Dec 15: What is transoral gastroplasty or TOGa? #weightloss http://bit.ly/bF0AsK
Dec 15: What is connective tissue disease? How does this affect the aorta? http://bit.ly/cxop3V
Dec 14: Can bacteria from tooth decay or oral infections affect aortic surgery? http://bit.ly/9937IM
Bio: The Albert Einstein Cancer Center is an NCI designated Clinical Cancer Center, one of the first funded centers and continuously funded since 1972. Account Opened June 22, 2009.
AE Cancer Center Tweets are somewhat below average in frequency, averaging at 2-3 per week. Their tweets are generally related to news on cancer research or hospital news. Just over 50% of tweets are links to National Cancer Institute articles. However, this is balanced out by links to their own site and others regarding the hospital and/or their research.Sampling of Tweets:
Dec 15: FDA Advisory Committee Votes against Two Drugs for Prostate Cancer Prevention: An advisory committee to th... http://bit.ly/f97wsl #AECC
Dec 7: Lasofoxifene Is Potential New Option for Breast Cancer Risk Reduction: An investigational agent in the sam... http://bit.ly/f1gZgV #AECC
Dec 2: Albert Einstein College of Medicine Helps Address Need for Improved Cancer Care in Rural America: A... http://bit.ly/hZ4Lf7 #EinsteinRSS
Nov 30: Denosumab Approved to Prevent Bone Problems in Cancer Patients: Denosumab, a monoclonal antibody approved ... http://bit.ly/fqwp1B #AECC
Overall, all of these accounts do at least one thing that is good as far as being a useful tool for information goes. The main pitfall appears to be with frequency of tweets. It would seem that most of these accounts could take a page from Columbia Surgery's Twitter account, as they are number 1 as far as frequency of tweets goes. However, Columbia Surgery is lacking when it comes to sources, as just about all of their content is home-grown (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). A little bit of variety would definitely serve to spice things up. St. Jude does a nice job of answering questions posed to them through Twitter. Based on that which I've observed by following these Twitter accounts, a good (i.e. Worthwhile) Hospital account should post on a somewhat frequent basis. Their tweets should cover a wide array of topics, and the sources of their content should be a balanced mix of news links from different (but established, legitimate) origins. In addition, different types of media should be utilized. These include blog postings, websites for special causes, informative YouTube videos, and podcasts just to name a few. Accounts that closely adhere to these guidelines should enjoy great success, and will become valuable assets to their respective healthcare establishment.
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