Social media: How hospital facebook activity may influence patient satisfaction

Abstract

Some hospitals use social media to promote accurate health-related education, information, and engage consumers. We performed multiple linear regression analyses to determine the associations between hospital Facebook activity and patient satisfaction for 390 hospitals. Hospitals that had a Facebook page were active on Facebook in the past 30?days and had more “likes,” had more patients willing to definitely recommend the hospital, and had a higher overall satisfaction score. Practitioners can use the results when considering whether a minimal financial investment in social media may be worth customer loyalty and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Systems (CMS) reimbursement benefits.     

General Audience Engagement With Antismoking Public Health Messages Across Multiple Social Media Sites: Comparative Analysis

BackgroundPublic health organizations have begun to use social media to increase awareness of health harm and positively improve health behavior. Little is known about effective strategies to disseminate health education messages digitally and ultimately achieve optimal audience engagement.ObjectiveThis study aims to assess the difference in audience engagement with identical antismoking health messages on three social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) and with a referring link to a tobacco prevention website cited in these messages. We hypothesized that health messages might not receive the same user engagement on these media, although these messages were identical and distributed at the same time.MethodsWe measured the effect of health promotion messages on the risk of smoking among users of three social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) and disseminated 1275 health messages between April 19 and July 12, 2017 (85 days). The identical messages were distributed at the same time and as organic (unpaid) and advertised (paid) messages, each including a link to an educational website with more information about the topic. Outcome measures included message engagement (ie, the click-through rate [CTR] of the social media messages) and educational website engagement (ie, the CTR on the educational website [wCTR]). To analyze the data and model relationships, we used mixed effects negative binomial regression, z-statistic, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test.ResultsComparisons between social media sites showed that CTRs for identical antitobacco health messages differed significantly across social media (P<.001 for all). Instagram showed the statistically significant highest overall mean message engagement (CTR=0.0037; 95% CI 0.0032-0.0042), followed by Facebook (CTR=0.0026; 95% CI 0.0022-0.0030) and Twitter (CTR=0.0015; 95% CI 0.0013-0.0017). Facebook showed the highest as well as the lowest CTR for any individual message. However, the message CTR is not indicative of user engagement with the educational website content. Pairwise comparisons of the social media sites differed with respect to the wCTR (P<.001 for all). Messages on Twitter showed the lowest CTR, but they resulted in the highest level of website engagement (wCTR=0.6308; 95% CI 0.5640-0.6975), followed by Facebook (wCTR=0.2213; 95% CI 0.1932-0.2495) and Instagram (wCTR=0.0334; 95% CI 0.0230-0.0438). We found a statistically significant higher CTR for organic (unpaid) messages (CTR=0.0074; 95% CI 0.0047-0.0100) compared with paid advertisements (CTR=0.0022; 95% CI 0.0017-0.0027; P<.001 and P<.001, respectively).ConclusionsOur study provides evidence-based insights to guide the design of health promotion efforts on social media. Future studies should examine the platform-specific impact of psycholinguistic message variations on user engagement, include newer sites such as Snapchat and TikTok, and study the correlation between web-based behavior and real-world health behavior change. The need is urgent in light of increased health-related marketing and misinformation on social media.     

Can Parental Engagement in Social Media Enhance Outcomes of an Online Healthy Lifestyle Program for Preschool-Aged Children?

ABSTRACT

This study explored parental engagement, child BMI and secondary outcomes from the social media component of an online healthy lifestyle program for parents of preschool-aged children. Intervention group participants received access to an online program and Facebook group. Data were collected at baseline and 3- and 6-months follow-up. Facebook usage data on comments and posts were used to determine total active engagement. There was a high level of Facebook group membership and most parents actively engaged at least once. Although there were varying levels of engagement between modules and cohorts, it was modest overall. User acceptability of the Facebook group was lower than expected. Children of parents in the intervention who engaged more in the Facebook group (by posting and commenting) demonstrated greater sleep duration over time (estimate 1.79, 95% CI 0.42 to 3.17, p = .01) Children of parents who engaged more in the Facebook group also participated in less moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (estimate ?0.14, 95% CI ?0.26 to ?0.01, p = .03). This study is one of the first parent-focussed healthy lifestyle interventions to include a social media component. Further research is recommended with larger sample sizes and longer duration to further explore the potential of social media in childhood obesity interventions.     

From bad to worse: The representation of the HPV vaccine Facebook

BackgroundAnti-HPV vaccination social media messages may increase vaccine hesitancy and avoidance. This study analyzed (1) the first decade of public, HPV-vaccine related Facebook posts’ characteristics, engagement, and health belief messages; (2) relationships between variables; (3) how those variables changed over time; and (4) identified and analyzed the posts with the most engagement.MethodsThe data sample consisted of 6,506 public HPV vaccine-related Facebook posts (n = 6,506) published within the first decade following the FDA’s first HPV vaccine approval (June 8, 2006 – June 8, 2016). Post characteristics, engagement, and health belief model (HBM) messages were coded (Krippendorf’s alpha range: 0.71–1.00).ResultsBarriers to HPV vaccination appeared more often (47.1%) than benefits (19.8%). Regarding the tone towards the vaccine, negative was dominant (45.0%) and the average sample sentiment was negative (M = -0.15, SD = 0.851). Tone positivity was negatively correlated with barriers to HPV vaccine (r = -0.631, p < 0.0001). The post with the most engagement (11,000 reactions, 6,100 comments, and 329,000 shares displayed) was anti-HPV vaccine, and negative posts received significantly greater engagement. Over time, negative tone and barriers had a greater presence. The data showed evidence for forward momentum (Durbin-Watson values) of HPV infection susceptibility (0.004), HPV infection severity (0.426), HPV vaccine benefits (0.297), and barriers to HPV vaccination (0.226) messages, tone (0.690), and the number of reactions (1.589), comments (1.389), and shares (1.340).ConclusionFacebook posts about the HPV vaccine were mostly negative with a frequent focus on barriers to vaccination. Time effects suggest that anti-HPV vaccine posts have encouraged more anti-HPV vaccine posts. Research should continue to address the influence of time. The influence of messages that are pro-HPV vaccine, but perhaps are negative in tone, address barriers, and/or presented by individual stakeholders, should be tested inside and outside of social media channels.     

Emerging social media ‘platform’ approaches to alcohol marketing: a comparative analysis of the activity of the top 20 Australian alcohol brands on Facebook (2012-2014)

Social media platforms are important actors in the development of alcohol marketing techniques. While public health research has documented the activities of brands and consumers related to alcohol promotion and consumption on social media, there remains the need to develop an account of the native, participatory and data-driven advertising model of these platforms. This article examines the relationship between alcohol brands, media platforms and their users by analysing the activity of the 20 most popular alcohol brands’ Australian Facebook pages in 2012 and 2014. We report that the number of fans of alcohol brands increased by 52% from 2012 to 2014. While the number of posts dropped 12% from 2012 and 2014, total interactions with posts by users increased by 9%. Overall, brand activity and engagement became more consistent between 2012 and 2014. We argue that the changing character of user engagement with alcohol brands on Facebook can be related to changes in the platform architecture. Facebook is orchestrating a shift from exposure to engagement as its key advertising metric, and thus departing substantially from established mass media advertising paradigms. Effective policy responses to alcohol marketing in the digital era depend on a more rigorous examination of the marketing infrastructure of social media platforms.     

Cultural Adaptation and Social Media Promotion of Healthy Eating Guides for Spanish Speakers

ObjectiveThe internet is a primary source of nutrition information in the US. Minorities and non-English speakers face a digital divide when accessing such information. We aimed to report on the reach of social media dissemination of the cultural adaptation of the evidence-based Kid's Healthy Eating Plate to Spanish-speaking Latinos and of previous versions.MethodsThe adaptation was based on the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Expanded and was disseminated through social media platforms (116 days). Outcomes were impressions, shares, website link clicks, number of viewers, and access country.ResultsThe kids’ culturally adapted version had 288,773 impressions and 1,227 shares on social media; the website was linked 9,763 times, predominantly through Facebook (Meta Platforms, Inc). User engagement and pageviews were mostly from Spain, Latin American countries, and the US.Conclusions and ImplicationsThe cultural adaptation of healthy eating guidelines for Spanish-speaking children was accessed in the US and worldwide. Promotion through social media had a significant impact on its reach. Cultural adaptation and paid dissemination of evidence-based materials may help close the digital divide and promote health literacy in diverse populations.     

Health Care and Social Media Platforms in Hospitals

The objective of this article is to illustrate user characteristics of a hospital’s social media structure using analytics and user surveys. A 1-year retrospective analysis was conducted along with an Internet survey of users of the hospital’s Facebook, Twitter, and blog. Of the survey respondents (n = 163), 95.7% are female and 4.3% are male; most are ages 50–59 years (31.5%) and 40–49 years (27.8%); and 93.2% are Caucasian. However, the hospital system database revealed 55% female and 37% minority population, respectively. Of the survey respondents, 61.4% reported having a bachelor’s degree or higher, whereas only 11.7% reported having a high school degree/equivalent or lower. However, within the hospital patient databases, 93% of patients have a high school degree/equivalent or lower and only 3% have a bachelor’s degree or higher in our women’s services population. Social media were used to seek personal health information 68.7% (n = 112), to learn about hospital programming 27.6% (n = 45), and to seek family health information 25.2% (n = 41). Respondents younger than 49 years of age were more likely to seek personal health information using social media compared to those 50 years of age and older (p = .02). Respondents with a bachelor’s degree or higher education were statistically less likely to search for physician information compared to those less educated individuals (p = .04). We conclude that social media may play an important role in personal health information, especially for young female respondents; however, the survey provides strong evidence that further research is needed to ensure that social network sites provided by hospitals are reaching the full spectrum of health system patients.     

Social Media Content of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Groups and Pages on Facebook: Cross-sectional Analysis

BackgroundPatients use Facebook as a resource for medical information. We analyzed posts on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)-related Facebook groups and pages for the presence of guideline content, user engagement, and usefulness.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to describe and analyze posts from Facebook groups and pages that primarily focus on IPF-related content.MethodsCross-sectional analysis was performed on a single date, identifying Facebook groups and pages resulting from separately searching “IPF” and “idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.” For inclusion, groups and pages needed to meet either search term and be in English, publicly available, and relevant to IPF. Every 10th post was assessed for general characteristics, source, focus, and user engagement metrics. Posts were analyzed for presence of IPF guideline content, useful scientific information (eg, scientific publications), useful support information (eg, information about support groups), and potentially harmful information.ResultsEligibility criteria were met by 12 groups and 27 pages, leading to analysis of 523 posts. Of these, 42% contained guideline content, 24% provided useful support, 20% provided useful scientific information, and 5% contained potentially harmful information. The most common post source was nonmedical users (85%). Posts most frequently focused on IPF-related news (29%). Posts containing any guideline content had fewer likes or comments and a higher likelihood of containing potentially harmful content. Posts containing useful supportive information had more likes, shares, and comments.ConclusionsFacebook contains useful information about IPF, but posts with misinformation and less guideline content have higher user engagement, making them more visible. Identifying ways to help patients with IPF discriminate between useful and harmful information on Facebook and other social media platforms is an important task for health care professionals.     

Strategic health communication on social media: Insights from a Danish social media campaign to address HPV vaccination hesitancy

ObjectiveTo evaluate whether the social media strategy developed for the campaign Stop HPV – stop cervical cancer was successful at engaging target groups in communication regarding HPV vaccination.IntroductionIn 2009, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine became part of the Danish childhood vaccination program to protect Danish girls from cervical cancer. In 2015, after a period of massive media coverage questioning the safety of the HPV vaccination, a rapid decline in HPV vaccination coverage was observed. An information campaign was therefore launched in May 2017 to address HPV vaccination hesitancy.The social media strategy‘Heart-brain communication’ combined facts and emotions through varied content. Community management guidelines were worked out to ensure that there was positive dialogue. Key Point Indicators (KPI) for Engagement Rate (ER) and Click Through Rate (CTR) were chosen to uphold engagement and traffic from Facebook to the website. The KPIs were used to measure effectiveness.ResultsIn January 2019, the social media campaign had reached 8,020,000 people with an average of 127 comments per post. The average ER from May 2017 to halfway through 2018 was 6.07% and the CTR was 2.09%. The content subgroup personal stories was the most effective in creating positive dialogue. One year after the launch of the campaign, the number of positive comments had increased from less than 50% to approximately 75%.ConclusionA comprehensive social media strategy using ‘heart-brain communication’ proved useful in a campaign for HPV vaccination. The success of the social media strategy was due to meticulous planning prior to launching the campaign, the use of content subgroups, the allocation of adequate resources for community management, the empirical analysis of content, and the use of evaluation results as guidance for the production of new content.     

An Integrative Review: Understanding Parental Use of Social Media to Influence Infant and Child Health

Objectives

Parents of young children have unique informational needs and it has been demonstrated that information-seeking behaviors influence health outcomes. Due to social media’s popularity, understanding parents’ use of social media may assist in disseminating accurate parenting information and in developing targeted interventions. Thus, we aimed to identify and describe the existing literature of parental use of social media for parenting in the U.S.

Methods

After searching nine databases with two separate Boolean phrases, identified articles were reviewed. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, resulting in 12 articles published between January 2004 and May 2018 that related to parental use of social media for parenting or infant health in the U.S. Data from relevant articles were then extracted and analyzed.

Results

Facebook was the most frequent social media format. Parental utilization of social media varied by race/ethnicity and region. Studies primarily focused on women and a range of article topics were identified, the most common being infant feeding practices. Finally, two themes emerged: (1) parental support via social media and (2) effectiveness of using social media for health communication targeting parents.

Conclusions for Practice

Social media provided support for parents and was effective for communicating health information; thus, public health organizations should include social media in their efforts to promote infant and child health. More research is needed to further identify demographic differences in social media use among parents.

     

Physicians,patients, and Facebook: Could you? Would you? Should you?

ABSTRACT

This article investigates the opinions of physicians and patients regarding the use of Facebook to communicate with one another about health-related issues. We analyzed 290 comments posted on online discussion boards and found that most (51.7%) were opposed to physicians being Facebook “friends” with patients and many (42%) were opposed to physicians having any kind of Facebook presence. Some believed that health care organizations should have a social media policy and provide social media training. We conclude with suggestions for how health care administrators can provide assistance to physicians and effectively manage their social media presence.     

A cross-cultural examination of masculinity and health behaviour in Hong Kong: the mediating role of age and social support*

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Examine masculinity as a predictor of engagement in health behaviour, and explore the mediating effect of age and social support on the relationship between conformity to masculine norms and health behaviour among a sample of Hong Kong Chinese, mainland Chinese, Caucasian, and South Asian men living in Hong Kong.

Methods: A cross-cultural community sample of 495 men aged 18–81 years (M_age?=?39.87 years) were recruited to the study. Participants completed self-report measures of conformity to masculine norms (CMNI), social support (MSPSS), and health behaviour (HBI).

Results: Conformity to masculine norms was predictive of engagement with health behaviour, meanwhile age and social support mediated the relationship between conformity and health behaviour. Conformity was stronger among younger men, while higher levels of social support were predictive of poorer engagement in health behaviour for men in the present study. Findings from the multiple mediation revealed that social support better accounted for poorer engagement in health behaviour when compared to age.

Conclusions: While much of the literature has focused on the toxic impact of masculinity on men’s health, the present findings demonstrate that conformity to masculine norms does not necessarily equate with health risk behaviour. The association between lower levels of social support and health behaviour were interesting and demonstrate men’s autonomy in health matters; this contradicts previous findings emphasising the importance of social support in influencing men’s positive health behaviour. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for and applications to men’s health and health promotion.     

Racial and Ethnic Makeup in Hospital’s Social Media and Online Platforms: Visual Representation of Diversity in Images and Videos of Washington,D.C. Hospitals

While hospitals’ health promotion via social media has the potential to be a critical source of health information, research shows racial and ethnic disparities exist in health-related knowledge that may be, in part, related to media representation. The purpose of this study is to examine the racial and ethnic representation of people featured in Washington, D.C. hospitals’ social media platforms to understand how hospitals embed cultural competency into their health communication. By comparing the diversity of images on hospitals’ social media platforms with the demographics of hospitals’ neighboring communities, the researchers intend to highlight opportunities to improve targeted health messaging to underserved communities, particularly Black and Hispanic communities. By analyzing the images and videos posted on the three most popular social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube – for a one-month period, the researchers found that Whites and Asians were over-represented while Hispanics were severely under-represented in hospitals’ social media representation as compared to the community demographics. Increasing the diversity of minority representation on hospitals’ social media-based health promotion may contribute to addressing the social disparities in healthcare.     

公立医院改革背景下吉林省医疗收入结构变化特征及趋势预测分析*

目的：分析公立医院改革背景下吉林省公立医院医疗收入结构变化特征及趋势。方法：基于2014—2020年吉林省公立医院财务数据,运用结构变动分析和灰色预测分析方法对医疗收入及其各明细项收入的结构变化特征及趋势进行研究。结果：2014—2020年,在吉林省公立医院医疗收入结构中,药品收入占比显著下降,医疗服务、卫生材料和检查及化验收入占比总体呈上升趋势;药品收入对整体结构变动度的贡献率最高,其次是卫生材料和检查收入。结论：公立医院改革以来,药品价格改革及医疗服务价格改革成效显著,公立医院医疗收入结构得到一定优化,但其结构调整仍有空间。卫生材料及大型检查费用应得到重点关注,后续应统筹兼顾、综合施策,进一步理顺医疗服务价格比价关系,推动公立医院改革平稳运行。     

Using Facebook to reach adolescents for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination

BackgroundDespite numerous public health campaigns to promote the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, uptake among adolescents in the US has remained below the Healthy People 80% goal for 3-dose completion. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) used an innovative social media strategy to raise awareness and increase rates of HPV immunization initiation and series completion among adolescents.MethodsBetween June 2012 and July 2013, PDPH launched a Facebook campaign to target Philadelphia adolescents (13–18 years) with specific messages about HPV immunization benefits and announce opportunities for vaccination. Six distinct advertising campaigns ran for two-week intervals. Facebook metrics and vaccine clinic data were used to track success. Reminder-recall letters were also sent to adolescents as part of the campaign.ResultsOn average, each advertising campaign reached 155,110 adolescents and engaged 2106 adolescents. The advertising campaigns that focused on HPV disease risk and local resources were the most successful in engaging adolescents. During advertising campaigns, there were sizeable increases in both reach and engagement compared to non-campaign periods. Overall, 3400 adolescents became fans of the campaign and 176 doses of HPV vaccine were administered to 152 adolescents. Only 2 adolescents were vaccinated as a result of the Facebook campaign while the rest were prompted by reminder-recall letters or through community events.ConclusionThe campaign was well-received, far-reaching and generated awareness and conversations among adolescents. However, the campaign did not appear to be a sufficient driver for HPV uptake even when common barriers to HPV immunization were minimized.     

Hospital revenue cycle management and payer mix: do Medicare and Medicaid undermine hospitals' ability to generate and collect patient care revenue?

The continuing efforts of government payers to contain hospital costs have raised concerns among hospital managers that serving publicly insured patients may undermine their ability to manage the revenue cycle successfully. This study uses financial information from two sources-Medicare cost reports for all US hospitals for 2002 to 2007 and audited financial statements for all bond-issuing, not-for-profit hospitals for 2000 to 2006 to examine the relationship between hospitals' shares of Medicare and Medicaid patients and the amount of patient care revenue they generate as well as the speed with which they collect their revenue. Hospital-level fixed effects regression analysis finds that hospitals with higher Medicare and Medicaid payer mix collect somewhat higher average patient care revenues than hospitals with more privately insured and self-pay patients. Hospitals with more Medicare patients also collect on this revenue faster; serving more Medicaid patients is not associated with the speed of patient revenue collection. For hospital managers, these findings may represent good news. They suggest that, despite increases in the number of publicly insured patients served, managers have frequently been able to generate adequate amounts of patient revenue and collect it in a timely fashion.     

Social Engagement and Sleep Quality among Older Adults in Rural China: Is There a Sex Difference?

ObjectivesSleep quality plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of older people and has become a major public health concern throughout the world. Social engagement, as a core component of “Active Ageing”, is one of the key determinants of health outcomes of older adults. This study estimated the relationship between social engagement and sleep quality among older adults living in rural China, and to determine whether there is a sex difference in these associations.DesignA cross-sectional design. Multilevel, multiple linear regression models were used to examine the independent associations between each type of social engagement and sleep quality. All standard errors were clustered at the community level.Setting and ParticipantsData were from 3243 adults age 60 years or older from rural areas in China.MethodsSleep quality was measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Social engagement was measured by 3 types of social groups’ activity in this study, including participation in hobby groups, community-related organization, and sports groups.ResultsParticipating in hobby groups, community-related organization, and sports groups with high frequency are all associated with better sleep quality. In addition, the positive relation between participating in community-related organization and sleep quality is stronger for older male than female adults, and the positive association between participating in hobby groups/sports groups is stronger for older female than male adults.Conclusions and ImplicationsOlder adults with high-frequency of social engagement may have better sleep quality. This study offers new insight for the sleep quality from the perspective of social engagement among older people, implies that encouraging targeted social engagement in older people with different sex may be effective in promoting sleep quality in rural China.     

Environmental and Organizational Factors Associated with Hospital Use of GPO Services

Abstract

Given the potential benefits of Group Purchasing Organizations in cost-containment efforts for hospitals on supplies and purchased services, an important question that remains unanswered is what conditions support or hinder the utilization of GPOs by hospitals. Therefore, this study explores the relationship between GPO use by hospitals and their market and organizational characteristics. Data on hospital GPO utilization and other organizational characteristics were combined with secondary hospital market characteristics. Panel logistic regression with random effects and state and year fixed effects analysis was used to examine the relationship between hospitals’ utilization of GPO services and hospitals’ organizational and market characteristics. Overall, the majority of hospitals utilized the services of GPOs. Specifically, the number of hospitals utilizing the services of GPOs increased slightly from 3290 (72.2%) in 2004 to 3337 (74.4%) in 2013. In regression analyses, hospitals utilizing the services of GPOs operated in an external environment with mixed levels of munificence, more dynamism, and less competition. Specifically, hospitals operating in a less munificent environment are more likely to utilize the services of GPOs. The study findings provide organizational decision-makers and policymakers’ insights into how certain market and organizational factors influence hospital strategy choice, in this case, the use of GPOs.