Beyond the devices and platforms in healthcare communication
by Lau Hesselbæk Andreasen
October 28, 2011
Tags: ehealth, online health, smartphone, social media
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The rapidly increasing use of smartphones and online social media platforms in the interrelation between patients, care providers and other stakeholders in the healthcare space receives a lot of attention. Much of the focus thus far has been on the technical solutions themselves and the functions they enable; the phones, the applications, the virtual platforms etc. There are lots of obvious benefits in opening up more channels of communication in this space.
Less focus has been devoted to the issue of how the introduction of those devices and channels are impacting on the way in which the various stakeholders approach how they communicate with each other. In other words: the human element. Many complex challenges arise when sensitive information is being published and personal stories and experiences are being shared via all the new channels.
- How should the providers and managers of those channels respond to this?
- How should these changes and challenges be sensible embedded in for example the communication strategies of care providers, pharma and others?
- How should they respond to the fact that they are no longer merely publishing their version of the story on a website, but have to engage with a stream of “raw information” coming the other way?
- And how does all this impact on areas such as marketing?
We have a number of cases on the online health conference track at the J. Boye Aarhus 11 conference, which explores some of those difficult, but fascinating issues:
- Poul Jasczcak is a chief surgeon at Herlev Hospital and also Chairman of the Danish Medical Association Ethics Committee and will be talking about “Digital strategies & methods for communicating”.
- Abir Al-Khalemji is a doctor and Ph.D student at Odense University Hospital and will be looking at Social Media Success Criteria.
- Line Berg Østergaard is heading up digital marketing at Zimmer, a global pharmaceutical firm and will be exploring how to communicate with patients from the perspective of her industry
- Jens Ole Henriksen, until recently CIO at Odense University Hospital, who will talk about the implications of using smartphones in a clinical environment.
We have also got a roundtable on the program, where participants will have the opportunity to discuss the topics in more detail.