Millions of people log in to one or more social media sites every day, and patients and families are increasingly seeking health information online. This merging of digital media and health care realms makes it imperative that health care organizations, clinicians, researchers, and medical communicators engage with audiences on social media channels.
Although the proliferation of online and social media sites has increased people’s ability to seek and find information, public health experts warn about the rampant spread of health misinformation and disinformation that can harm health and wellbeing.
How can health and medical communicators harness the power of social media to efficiently and effectively share accurate and relevant health information?
Selecting your Platform
Social media platforms play an important role in informing the public. According to the Pew Research Center, “just over half of U.S. adults (54%) say they at least sometimes get news from social media.”
Each platform has its own unique style, audience, and limitations. Understanding these nuances can help medical communicators create content that is optimized for each platform. In an AMWA Journal article, “Social Media for the Health Care Organization: Sharing for Good,” Diane Lang and Abbie Roth, two veteran medical communicators, detail their experience using social media to share credible, high-quality health and medical information with their audience. “Messages should be tailored not only to an audience but also a platform,” they write, “Although content can be cross-promoted among organizational accounts, not all content should be.”
For example, content that performs well on platforms that prioritize short form videos and visuals, such as TikTok and Instagram, may not translate well on sites that primarily focus on written content, such as X (formerly Twitter).
Tips for Effective Health Communication on Social Media
To maximize the effectiveness of health communication on social media, medical writers should adhere to the following best practices.
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Collaborate with Credible Authorities
Partnering with established health organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and reputable academic institutions ensures the accuracy of the information being shared. When applicable, offering educational content on how to identify credible health sources is key to empowering your audience to become more discerning consumers of health information online.
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Engage with Your Audience
Social media allows for dynamic, real-time interaction, which can build trust. Medical communicators should be prepared to address questions, clarify confusion, and engage with users in a professional and timely manner. This can be done through Q&A sessions, live chats, polls, and responding to questions in the comments. Effective social media fosters two-way conversations.
Monitoring social media for emerging misinformation and disinformation is critical. Responding with accurate information and directing your audience to authoritative sources helps mitigate the spread of falsehoods. Providing evidence-based responses and citing credible sources can help debunk myths and promote digital literacy.
Considerations for cultural, linguistic, and health literacy factors should inform social media content creation. Using accessible design features including, subtitles, captions, and screen-reader compatibility is important for inclusivity. Health information can often be complex. Medical writers should focus on simplifying content while ensuring accuracy. Using plain language and incorporating visuals such as infographics, charts, and videos can make complex health information more accessible to the public.
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Pay Attention to Analytics
When health communicators explore advanced analytics, they can understand the questions, problems, and concerns of audiences — and provide content that meets their needs on the platforms they use.
Using social monitoring tools can maximize data analysis. These tools, such as Hootsuite and Sprout Social, can assist medical communicators in keeping track of content related to an individual, organization, or product on social media by monitoring hashtags, keywords, and mentions.
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Use Social Media to Drive Pageviews
Another key point in discussions of communication strategies should be to use social media to drive people to existing resources, especially websites. Social media can be employed to drive pageviews and help people find and engage with accurate health and science information.
Resources for Social Media Success
The Health Communicator’s Social Media Toolkit, published by the CDC, provides a wealth of information for using social media tools to increase engagement with science-based health information.
In today’s world, social media should be central to any communications strategy, and not an afterthought. When ethical medical communicators engage with audiences using the latest tools and technology, their messages can help counteract some of the destructive effects of misinformation and disinformation.
Healthy discourse could lead to a healthier society.
AMWA acknowledges the contributions of Abbie Miller, MWC, for peer review in the development of this AMWA resource.
