Next #hcsmca chat
Wed. May 22, 2013 at 1pm ET (2pm AT, noon CT, 11am MT, 10am PT)
hcsmca = Health Care Social Media Canada more info >>
Want to hear more about building and sustaining online communities? On Tuesday, May 21, I’ll be an hour long tutorial on community management and its importance to the success of an online community. Join me for the Third Tuesday event (registration). Here’s the event description:
Thanks to the social web, people from around the world come together to share information and support. We build networks and join communities online when we need help or advice.
Colleen Young, founder of Health Care Social Media Canada (@hcsmca & #hcsmca) and online community manager of Canadian Virtual Hospice, witnesses this phenomenon in health every day. Patients, caregivers, family, friends, and other supporters are increasingly taking part in online health communities to share information and find support.
Patients know things — about themselves, about each other, about treatments — and they want to share what they know to help other people. But web 2.0 technology alone does not make community. To build and sustain a community, you need a connector and enabler. You need strategic community management that works.
At the May 21 Third Tuesday Toronto #3TYYZ, Colleen will share insights, stories and lessons learned from her experience managing a variety of online health communities, including:
- SharingStrength.ca |FortesEnsemble.ca
- Canadian Virtual Hospice | Portail canadien en soins palliatives
- Health Care Social Media Canada (#hcsmca)
She’ll talk about best practices in starting and growing an online community and demonstrate the importance of community management, data collection, content creation, collaboration, and other proven techniques that ensure the survival and steady growth of a thriving online community.
By Fanny Gillet and edited by Colleen Young
On May 8th, @Bonnycastle took the reins and moderated the hcsmca chat. Together we discussed the relationship between physicians and patients support groups. As an introduction, she wrote the blog post Should medical doctors advocate for patient support groups?
T1: Why is it important for physicians to advocate for patient support groups?
First, let’s see what hcsmca-ers think about patient support groups. Most view the support that patients gain from their peers as positively complementary to the relationships they have with their doctors and other healthcare providers. Patient support groups help patients to empower themselves and to guide their self care.
Peer learning is a key factor for that and Patient communities foster that empowerment. @nurturedchild @hcsmca #hcsmca
— James Spicka (@jcs0716) 8 mai 2013
What does it change if health providers advocate for patient support groups? Physicians advocating for patient support groups increase their legitimacy and reputation. It can help them be seen as a benefit to patients outcomes. It is also a way for patients and providers to work together and to improve their relationship.
@hcsmca It increases the support group’s legitamacy as an effective treatment tool if doctors are encouraging them. #hcsmca
— Bev Herscovitch (@bhersc) 8 mai 2013
T1 Because doctors have power and for support groups to work, they need to have buy-in from the entire hc team. #hcsmca
— Craig Thompson (@CraigTyyz) 8 mai 2013
However, before advocating, the provider has to know if the community is relevant or not. Additionally, they are more apt to advocate for patient support groups that demonstrate benefit to patients outcomes.
T1 Key reason MDs will advocate for patient communities is if there is evidence they improve patient outcomes #hcsmca
— Pat Rich (@cmaer) 8 mai 2013
To the question, “Do you think patients should tell their doctors about belonging to support groups?” hcsmca-ers think that it depends on the doctor. If he or she is open-minded about social media and Internet searches in general and support groups more specifically, then patients are more willing to share.
@bonnycastle depends on the doctor and what their reaction will be. Some doctors ridicule support groups, especially online #hcsmca
— Aurelia Cotta (@AureliaCotta) 8 mai 2013
Providers often equate anything that involves SoMe or support groups with WebMD or google searching @bhersc @aureliacotta #hcsmca
— James Spicka (@jcs0716) 8 mai 2013
Chat members also discussed whether for-profit groups can be considered reputable and valuable support communities. PatientsLikeMe was cited as a for-profit online community that is well respected because it is transparent and has clear guidelines.
@anetto It’s use that makes it a community or not. For-profit/non-profit, still groups of PEOPLE touched by serious illness. #hcsmca
— Julia Vyse (@Julia_Vyse) 8 mai 2013
T2: How can organizations and patients help physicians advocate for patient support groups?
Patients and organizations can both show healthcare professionals the positive impacts of support groups on patients outcomes by showing proofs and measures of their benefits.
t2: support grp can hopefully provide measures & preferably independent 1′s to ed MDs w evidence that the org/grp is mtg pt needs #hcsmca
— PaulGallant CHE MHK (@HealthWorksBC) 8 mai 2013
By discussing with their doctors, patients can assure that these groups help them manage their health.
Chat members also added that patients recognize what groups benefit them. Doctors can learn and curate a list of patient-vetted support groups by asking and listening to their patients.
T2: Physicians can’t really advocate for support groups w/o proof that they serve patient needs, which they get from patients. #hcsmca
— Samuel Dunsiger (@samdunsiger) 8 mai 2013
stories/convo’ b/w patient&doc can elicit meaningful measures to understanding support grp successes – thoughts? #hcsmca
— Patients’ Assoc (@PatientsAssocCa) 8 mai 2013
As for patient organizations, they can make doctors aware of what they do, give them resources of their patient support groups, distribute flyers in waiting rooms or ask to be included on hospital and doctor’s websites. However, some chat members underlined that the communications tools to reach doctors are very expensive and take time.
@bonnycastle Perhaps their role is working with doctors to make them aware of what they do so that docs can pass on to pts? #hcsmca
— Quinte Pediatrics (@QuintePediatric) 8 mai 2013
T2 Organizations can support their clinics and doctors by providing that first cut at a list of patient support resources. #hcsmca
— Craig Thompson (@CraigTyyz) 8 mai 2013
Read the full transcript.
Marie Ennis O’Connor (@JBBC) shared a list of patient support communities on Twitter that she is building. Feel free to add yours.
Have you ever joined a patient support group? How did you find it and do you talk about it with your doctor?
By Fanny Gillet and edited by Colleen Young
Nicole Ghanie-Opondo
On Wednesday May 1st, Nicole Ghanie-Opondo (@todayisbanana) moderated our tweetchat and asked the community how social media can serve behaviour change messages and help track diseases. As an introduction to the discussion she wrote an article in her blog – Behaviour Change, Disease Tracking & Social Media?
T1: People have tuned out of some behaviour messaging – can SM help?
Generally speaking, when it comes to behavior changes there is no miracle and most hcsmca-ers agreed that social media can’t be “the solution”. However, according to some chat participants, social media can provide useful peer support. By sharing real stories people may feel less alone and be influenced by the positive behaviour changes of others in their networks – “if you/they can do it, so can I”.
T1: SM can help folks empower themselves to change behaviours, especially when they meet others going through the same thing. #hcsmca
— Samuel Dunsiger (@samdunsiger) 1 mai 2013
Social media can also be a good tool to provide a message with a different approach, a more personal language and to get feedback from the audience.
@todayisbananas We need to use social media to provide information in a “real person” not professional way. Make it personal #hcsmca ^aw
— HaltonParents (@haltonparents) 1 mai 2013
Hcsmca-ers also noticed that social media can have a negative impact simply because they can transmit the wrong message to an audience.
@todayisbananas @samdunsiger. T1 SM is an agnostic tool and so can be just as powerful in reinforcing negative behaviors #hcsmca
— Pat Rich (@cmaer) 1 mai 2013
The opposite is also true because social media can be used to refute these wrong information through the sharing of studies for example.
@cartooninperson As community manager I’ve often used SM to correct info & slow rumours on things like ‘super STIs’ #hcsmca
— Nicole Ghanie-Opondo (@TodayisBananas) 1 mai 2013
The members debated about the length of the messages on social media and they notably said that short messages can be perceived as bossy. However, for others these messages are less pushy than longer ones.
@todayisbananas Yes, definitely. It’s hard to get message across in 140 char without sounding bossy sometimes! #hcsmca ^aw
— HaltonParents (@haltonparents) 1 mai 2013
@alainabcyr Bite sized chunks definitely more effective. Can’t expect SM to chg macro behaviour overnight #hcsmca
— Colin Hung (@Colin_Hung) 1 mai 2013
Social media can also be used to find out why people tune out behaviour change messaging and thus be a tool to bring them on board.
@todayisbananas T1 Tuning out doesn’t mean msg needs to be louder. Unhealthy behaviour comes from social issue. SM can identify. #hcsmca
— Ashley Ashbee (@cartooninperson) 1 mai 2013
T2: Should public health be using social media for disease tracking, beyond the flu?
Some hcsmca-ers are skeptical; they doubt about the accuracy of the data.
Agreed, that is my concern ^aw RT @cihrcafe_hfx: T2: One worry might be how accurate we can expect data from SM to be. #hcsmca
— HaltonParents (@haltonparents) 1 mai 2013
They notably questioned the meaning “likes” and “RTs” on social media – Do they reflect people’s thoughts? Do people always read what they like?
@todayisbananas @colin_hung I never assume people read when they Like/RT. What if they just want visibility? What if they’re bots? #hcsmca
— Ashley Ashbee (@cartooninperson) 1 mai 2013
Members also added that even if the data are not perfectly representative, they can still give some information that shows useful patterns.
+1 RT @alextyml: re: T2… I think there is value because the info is there. SM makes everything public!#hcsmca
— Nicole Ghanie-Opondo (@TodayisBananas) 1 mai 2013
@farrahschwartz T2: Good point, especially, I think, stories like where access is lacking for certain issues. 1 story enough. #hcsmca
— Ashley Ashbee (@cartooninperson) 1 mai 2013
During the discussion, hcsmca-ers shared interesting links that I gathered here:
- Pharmville: Applying Gamification to Healthcare
- Helene Campbell launches campaign to support transplant recipients
- Adventures in Sex City – The Health Unit
- Trending Now: Using Social Media to Predict and Track Disease Outbreaks
- Flu Evolution in Canada
- Health Map
For more details about the chat, you can read the full transcript.
What type of media do you think is the most successful in positive and healthy behaviour change and why?
The #hcsmca Twitter waves were buzzing when Dr. Rajiv Singal (@DrRKSingal) assumed the moderator’s seat on Wednesday April 24th for our evening chat. Having set the stage with his (first-ever) blog post Applying for medical school? Do you know what your digital footprint looks like? chat participants were eager to get the conversation started.
Thank you Pat Rich (@cmaer), online editor for the Canadian Medical Association, for capturing the highlights of the chat in this Storify. View the story “Medical students and their digital footprint” on Storify
@steveoph If u judge me on my peer review pubs, you have absolutely no idea who I am. Blog = 4 years of open thinking.vy different #HCSMCA
— Bryan Vartabedian (@Doctor_V) April 25, 2013
Read the full transcript.
What institutions are evaluating digital footprints well and how?
Online Community Lifecycle in a Nutshell [infographic]
Richard Millington, Founder of FeverBee Limited, just published this online community lifecycle infographic. He writes:
The lifecycle is your strategy for developing the community. It tells you what to do and when to do it. It’s backed by academic research, it’s proven to work, and ensures that the community manager understands what to work on next, as opposed to working in the dark. … [Until now] it’s always been visually unimpressive. There was never a single diagram that placed the stages, with the metrics, and the actions all in one place.
The FeverBee community lifecycle poster is a great cheatsheet or quick reference guide.
Online Communities and Apps for Health
Many health apps include social elements and seek to build online communities. Some succeed and thrive, while others languish. Why?
My fellow panelists, Jenn Sprung (@mindthecompany) and Bruce Baskerville (@CrushTheCrave), and I (@colleen_young) will explore this question at Apps for Health (@appsforhealth) on May 16. Each of us will share our perspectives:
I will share best practices of Community Management That Works – How to build a thriving online community. Bruce will present the app Crush the Crave as a Case Study – Successes and lessons learned integrating social in a health app. And Jenn will remind us Don’t Forget the User – First-hand stories from the hand that holds the app.
We’ll delve into questions such as:
- Why do you need a social strategy? Online community should not be an after-thought in health app development.
- What role does community management play?
- What is the impact of online social networks? What should we measure and why?
- The cat factor: What motivates community growth and activity?
- And what about the bad stuff? What to do when members “mis-behave”?
There’s still time to register - $10 for students, $50 for professionals and $25 for faculty. See the full line-up of panel sessions and student competition. Will Falk (@willfalk) will be giving the opening keynote. You can also follow the hashtag #appsforhealth on May 16.
What question would you like our panel to answer?
This week Dr. Rajiv Singal, longtime Head of Urology and currently Lead of Surgical Robotics at Toronto East General Hospital, takes the #hcsmca moderator’s seat. Enter your name into an online search engine – do you know what the search will return? If you intend to apply for medical school, Rajiv explains why you should know the answer to that question.
By Rajiv Singal (@DrRKSingal)
There has been much debate about how physicians should adapt to the digital world. The obvious benefits of online information exchange and networking have to be considered in the context of maintaining the private and very intimate nature of the patient-physician relationship. In my view, physicians have always been public figures. We care for the public and conduct our business in public institutions. I am always aware that every new patient sizes me up at our first encounter. It starts even before their consult. They observe how I interact with others in the waiting room and likely make a preliminary judgment about my character. That first impression matters in the moments before I actually introduce myself.
While we all strive for that elusive work-life balance, it is increasingly difficult to separate our personal and public personas. Anyone can walk into my office, listen to me at a hospital fundraiser or potentially hear at a coffee shop from another person whether I treated someone well or not. As we adopt social media, the signatures of our conduct become magnified.
Getting into medical school has always been very competitive. According to a blog post Medical School Admissions: Striving for fairness despite “ill-designed” tools by Anthony Sanfilippo, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education at Queen’s University Medical School, they received 3818 applicants for 100 spots this year. How does one choose? With so many bright, young people trying to enter medicine, it is difficult to decide who is worthy. It’s probable that out of every ten people with a 3.9+ GPA and widely diverse interests and only one will be lucky, leaving 9 disappointed and dreams shattered. Dr Sanfilippo’s account of the fictional Jessica and Matt illustrates this well. Yes, we train great physicians, but which superstars are we unknowingly excluding?
With this in mind there is a sense that maybe other criteria need to be considered in evaluating medical school applicants. Again Dr Sanfilippo offers some thoughts worth reading in his blog post Medical School Admissions: Unintended Consequences.
As people lead lives that increasingly include online communications and networking some have started to ask whether we should be looking at the digital signature or footprint medical school applicants. Will this shed light on strengths and noble endeavors that may not be apparent on ‘paper’? Perhaps expose character traits that may best be left outside of the medical profession?
I am not sure where the answer lies but I am certain that physicians occupy an important place in the public trust and how we conduct ourselves at all times on- and off-line must be worthy of the highest standards of the profession.
For the evening #hcsmca chat on April 24 (9pm ET), I recommend reading this blog post by Bryan Vartabedian, MD Assessing Med School Applicants’ Digital Footprints. In it @Doctor_V sets the stage for our discussion.
I leave you with these questions to consider:
- T1: Who is currently using an assessment of digital footprints to assess medical school applicants?
- T2: How can digital footprint assessment be developed to optimize this medical school selection process in a positive and meaningful way.
- T3: Can this be extended to post graduate medical education programs?
I look forward to seeing you Twitter on April 24, 2013 at 9pm ET for #hcsmca.
