Hospital Impact—A great piece by Nancy Cawley Jean examines the hospitals making best use of social media tools. Not long ago, only a few organizations such as Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic were actively using social media sites. Now, that picture is dramatically changed. Jean cites the popular Found in Cache blog that chronicles social media activity.
906 Hospitals in total use social media cites including:
- 448 YouTube Channels
- 719 Facebook pages
- 674 Twitter Accounts
- 439 LinkedIn Accounts
- 693 Four Square
- 106 Blogs
The story profiles hospitals like Arkansas Children’s Hospital and its more than 77,000 Facebook fans. The hospital has an engaged online audience that shares information, experiences and tips.
Our Take: Social media provides a great new opportunity for patient engagement. In the coming days, we’ll examine this from academic and business points of view. But for now, let’s take a moment to take in the rapid growth in social media participation by the nation’s healthcare organizations. As there are about 5,000 hospitals in the country, the list above represents about 18% of all US hospitals.
