How CareSearch uses social media to promote palliative care and interact with consumers and health professionalsTieman JJ, Koop E

CNSA Conference July 2012

Purpose

• What is CareSearch?

• What is social media?

• CareSearch Social Media Project

• What are outcomes?

About CareSearch• Palliative care resource

– Evidence based– Online

• Audience– Health professional– Patients, carers, families

• Funded by DoHA

What is social media?• Definition: websites and applications used

for social networking– creation and exchange of user generated

content

• Examples:– Twitter– Facebook– Wikis– Blogger– Flickr

Why Social Media• Usage figures

– Social networking 23% of online time– 800 million active Facebook users– 100 million active twitter users/340 million tweets

per day– 72 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every

minuteSource: Infographic-Spring 2012 Social Media User Statistics

• Important tool to connect with users/customers

• Allows wide variety of formats

• Enables engagement and user input

Social Media Project• To explore the use of social media to

reach and engage with consumers and health professionals

• Rationale– Timely dissemination– Reinforce relationships– Go where the people are – Access new audiences– Feedback and needs– Update news

CareSearch communications• Website What’s new

• RSS feeds

• Newsletters

• Presentations

Social Media Strategy• Phase 1

– Comments on others’ blogs, Twitter, Facebook

• Phase 2– Establish YouTube channel, consolidate videos and

commentaries – Access to presentations through Slideshare– Set up Twitter– Set up Healthshare

• Phase 3– Set up Facebook– Set up LinkedIn

Practical Issues• Knowledge of specific platforms

• Consider metrics

• Resources – Time– Staff – Content

• Content plans– Audience– Bank of items

• Flexibility

Brand identity• Visual brand

• Integrity of content

• Integrate withcommunications activities

• Cross promotion

Usage• CareSearch YouTube

– 8 playlists, 63 videos– 19,598 views

• CareSearch Twitter– 122 followers– Via retweets, over 14,462 Twitter users

• CareSearch Slideshare– 2 presentations, 535 views

What we’ve learned• Still at beginning of social media activity

• Limited engagement with health consumers

• Requires commitment and resources

• Dynamic environment

• Conservative

Future possibilities• Crowdsourcing

– Feedback, views

• Wikis for the development and review of content

• Monitoring attitudes to death and dying through social media

CareSearch would like to thank the many people who contribute their time and expertise to the project including members of the National Advisory Group and the Knowledge Network Management Group.

CareSearch is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

www.caresearch.com.au