A three part series on how hospices can benefit from social media.
Part One – The Case For Social Media
The psychological purchase price of hospice is steep – that is the decision to move from a curative form of care to comfort care. Simply put; ‘there is a whole lot of baggage.’ After close to two decades of conducting research on the hospice buying decision and a recent in-depth focus group study of patients, families, physicians, discharge planners, hospice nurses and social worker, I can tell you there remains hesitations, misconceptions, fear and guilt involved in the hospice decision.
Our research has shown that the key to gaining earlier acceptance of hospice care and reducing barriers to care is three fold: communication, peer to peer testimonial/experience sharing and education. With the growing rise of social media adopters the opportunity for communication, testimonial and education has never been so ripe. And ripe for the hospice target. From the 45+ year old female who is the healthcare gatekeeper within the family unit and the typical hospice decision maker for a parent, to the physician, to the Boomers/Seniors considering care for a spouse, these audiences are online and in social communities. Beyond just being online they are seeking advice, information, connection and being influenced by social media.
Here’s a quick snapshot:
* In a recent survey of 1,700 social media users nearly nine out of 10 consider the Internet a reputable source of health information. More than 80 percent currently research treatments online. But get this: 44 percent state they would leverage social media to do so in the future. And we know with the exploding social media audience that number can only continue to grow.
* Nearly one-third of consumers use online research to initiate physician conversations, informing their offline experiences with their online ones.
* The 2009 Women and Social Media Study by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners sited that 42 million US women use social media.
* A recent Retail Advertising and Marketing Association study shows that nearly 94 percent of women (moms) seek advice before buying products or services and more than 97 percent said they give advice on products or services purchased.
* According to Forrester Research in 2007, the percentage of Boomers consuming social media was 46% for younger Boomers (ages 43 to 52) and 39% for older Boomers (ages 53 to 63). By 2008, those number increased to 67% and 62%, respectively.
* According to SeniorJournal, “the fastest growth in Internet use is being driven by the older age groups, starting at 55.” Senior Journal also performed a study and found information that reports, “in the 80 plus metropolitan markets surveyed regularly by The Media Audit, 61.2 percent of all adults visit the Internet regularly.”
*Consumers value the health information they get through social media. According to the 2008 Edelman Trust Barometer, people tend to trust “a person like me” more than an authority figure.
*Physicians use clinical medical sites regularly, but more and more are also turning to social media — such as Facebook and online physician communities — for professional reasons or networking.
*In general, physicians use social media to seek out clinical information and opinions and discuss medical points of view with other doctors; to increase their professional exposure among colleagues and the general community, and for purely social reasons — to stay in touch with family and friends.
According to a California Healthcare Study, “Sponsorships of social media sites can help bond existing customers (whether patient, plan enrollee, or caregiver), bolster trust with the organization, and ultimately drive healthcare product/service sales that benefit both the patient and the company.”
