Learn how to transform healthcare experiences with digital communication tools. A quick guide for healthcare marketing and communication professionals.
After the 2019 global Coronavirus pandemic, sharing and searching for health information has become a popular (and sometimes chaotic) part of the healthcare process. More and more people now turn to online health information sources before consulting their healthcare providers.
While patient-physician relationships are already strained due to lack of bedside manner, patients feeling unheard, or medical shaming, it is important that healthcare systems improve their communication strategies to include digital platforms and meet patients where they are in their health-information-seeking journey.
While creating a more inviting and supportive environment, healthcare marketing professionals must also combat the medical misinformation that is widely available to communities seeking out health information. By providing and promoting your organization’s healthcare content — both within your facility and online — healthcare marketing and communication teams can help keep communities safe and strengthen the relationship between patients and healthcare systems.
Transforming the Patient–Health System Relationship with Digital Signage Tools
Key statistics:
- 75% of health information-seeking Americans look to digital resources before consulting healthcare professionals.
- 850,000 YouTube videos were removed in 2020 for containing false or misleading health information.
- Incorrect or misleading health information online can negatively affect public health and reduce healthcare visits from patients who attempt to self-administer treatments.
Top 5 Digital Platforms for Seeking Health Information
- Micro blogs
- Social networking sites
- Online health communities
- Social Q&A sites
- Wikis
Almost half of the people exposed to medical misinformation are unable to determine between accurate and false accounts.
Optimizing healthcare content for digital platforms can improve health literacy and reduce apprehension in health-seeking behaviors.
Providing accurate health information before appointments empowers patients to engage with their physicians through shared decision-making about advice and treatments — ultimately strengthening trust between patients and healthcare providers.
For more information on healthcare digital signage solutions, visit:
https://www.hypersign.com/healthcare
The information in this article was obtained by consulting the following online resources: World Health Organization, xtelligent HEALTHCARE MEDIA, and scholar-led research (Link et al., 2022; Le et al., 2022).
