Social Media and Health Care in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
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Abstract
Background: The use of information technology in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is on the rise and reaches the average of that in EU countries. With the growth of social media, there are new opportunities in terms of communication and the distribution of information for health care institutions. However, compared with the use of social media in the USA and Western Europe, we see a lag in Eastern Europe.
Objective: The aim of the presentation is to describe the current use of social media in health care in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, in order to assess the different approaches among various institutions divided by the branch of health care, size of institution and country.
Methods: Descriptive study – ecological study. The units of analysis are selected hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, professional societies, patients’ organisations and the Ministry of Health. For each unit, there is a descriptive part (location, size, and classification in the health care system). This is followed by a checklist that aims to sum up the unit’s social media presence. We examine the basic characteristics (number of Facebook fans, Facebook engagement, Twitter followers, LinkedIn connections, YouTube channel views and subscriptions) – all this over time (three months). For each social network, we strive to dig for more information (on Facebook, we’re looking for the real-time insights now available; on Twitter, we’re looking for retweets, conversations, Klout scores, and so on).
Results: Research in progress.
Conclusions: Research in progress. Findings: The use of social media within the health care sector is in its early days in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The most common social media tool is Facebook, but the quality of the pages and the level of interaction are quite low. This has been confirmed by the influence analysis. Large institutions are usually using social media more often, but the correlation between the size of institution and the quality of its social media presence is disputable. Patients’ organisations are the most active part of the health care social media ecosystem and create most of the user (patient)-generated content.
Objective: The aim of the presentation is to describe the current use of social media in health care in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, in order to assess the different approaches among various institutions divided by the branch of health care, size of institution and country.
Methods: Descriptive study – ecological study. The units of analysis are selected hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, professional societies, patients’ organisations and the Ministry of Health. For each unit, there is a descriptive part (location, size, and classification in the health care system). This is followed by a checklist that aims to sum up the unit’s social media presence. We examine the basic characteristics (number of Facebook fans, Facebook engagement, Twitter followers, LinkedIn connections, YouTube channel views and subscriptions) – all this over time (three months). For each social network, we strive to dig for more information (on Facebook, we’re looking for the real-time insights now available; on Twitter, we’re looking for retweets, conversations, Klout scores, and so on).
Results: Research in progress.
Conclusions: Research in progress. Findings: The use of social media within the health care sector is in its early days in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The most common social media tool is Facebook, but the quality of the pages and the level of interaction are quite low. This has been confirmed by the influence analysis. Large institutions are usually using social media more often, but the correlation between the size of institution and the quality of its social media presence is disputable. Patients’ organisations are the most active part of the health care social media ecosystem and create most of the user (patient)-generated content.
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