Digital Communication in Health: Content Analysis of the Usage of Social Media on Hospitals in Turkey
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Abstract
Background: Patients and families turn to the Internet for health information and increasingly are using social media to educate themselves about their health care needs. The network provides guidance to health care organizations that want to apply social media in health and health care. The primary reasons for hospitals branching into social media include the ability to connect with their patients and communities and to build brand awareness, loyalty and market share.
Objective: The goal of this study was to determine the usage of social media, digital communication and mobile health applications to communicate with patients and public by hospitals under the Ministry of Health in Turkey. Examinations made about whether or not hospitals have their own web sites, Facebook, Twitter, Linked, YouTube, Foursquare accounts and blog pages, and what is the range of hospital types, regions, number of beds, and settlements. In addition to these, a research was also made about whether or not hospitals have a public relations department.
Methods: This is a descriptive study. We recruited 1379 hospitals under the Ministry of Health in Turkey with the web pages and search motors of hospitals that exists and Google search. Hospitals were classified as private, university, education, research, public, oral and dental health centers. Data collection protocol was introduced and content analysis was used to determine the defined 38 variables. Hospitals were analyzed according to these 38 variables and significance of the variables between hospitals with respect to bed capacity, region, and hospital type were analyzed with chi-square statistical test.
Results: Some of the findings could be summarized that 88% of hospitals’ web sites are accessible and 12% of them are not accessible. 65,4 % of hospitals have a Facebook page and 23% of them have access to Facebook from their own web sites. 24,6% of these pages have fewer than 50.000 likes. 78% of hospitals have a Twitter account and 20% of those accounts are accessible through their web sites. The ratio of hospitals which have an e-mail account is 59% and the ratio of answering the e-mails is very low. Only 5% of hospitals have a LinkedIn account and 9% of those have a YouTube account. Similarly the ratio of hospitals which have blog pages is low. 76% of hospitals have a Foursquare application. Visitor books are available in 13% of hospitals web pages. Only 3% of all hospitals have a public relations department.
Conclusions: As a result social media, and mobile health applications are widely used in hospitals, regions and types are differentiated according to the hospitals in Turkey. Health care social media requires intelligent implementation in developing economies. It needs to cater to the expectations of the users.
Objective: The goal of this study was to determine the usage of social media, digital communication and mobile health applications to communicate with patients and public by hospitals under the Ministry of Health in Turkey. Examinations made about whether or not hospitals have their own web sites, Facebook, Twitter, Linked, YouTube, Foursquare accounts and blog pages, and what is the range of hospital types, regions, number of beds, and settlements. In addition to these, a research was also made about whether or not hospitals have a public relations department.
Methods: This is a descriptive study. We recruited 1379 hospitals under the Ministry of Health in Turkey with the web pages and search motors of hospitals that exists and Google search. Hospitals were classified as private, university, education, research, public, oral and dental health centers. Data collection protocol was introduced and content analysis was used to determine the defined 38 variables. Hospitals were analyzed according to these 38 variables and significance of the variables between hospitals with respect to bed capacity, region, and hospital type were analyzed with chi-square statistical test.
Results: Some of the findings could be summarized that 88% of hospitals’ web sites are accessible and 12% of them are not accessible. 65,4 % of hospitals have a Facebook page and 23% of them have access to Facebook from their own web sites. 24,6% of these pages have fewer than 50.000 likes. 78% of hospitals have a Twitter account and 20% of those accounts are accessible through their web sites. The ratio of hospitals which have an e-mail account is 59% and the ratio of answering the e-mails is very low. Only 5% of hospitals have a LinkedIn account and 9% of those have a YouTube account. Similarly the ratio of hospitals which have blog pages is low. 76% of hospitals have a Foursquare application. Visitor books are available in 13% of hospitals web pages. Only 3% of all hospitals have a public relations department.
Conclusions: As a result social media, and mobile health applications are widely used in hospitals, regions and types are differentiated according to the hospitals in Turkey. Health care social media requires intelligent implementation in developing economies. It needs to cater to the expectations of the users.
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