102 Tweets About Social Media and Healthcare

Since May of this year, I have been posting a daily tweet on how healthcare orgs can use social  media.  @John_Norris with the tag #hcsm

The example I use is Twitter, but any microblogging and socially connected platform would do.  I put together some of my thoughts in a presentation, “Hyper-Local Social Media and Healthcare” or better known as “@mayoclinic has good info, why should I listen to you?”

Here’s my tips so far in all their twittery goodness-

Hospital Chaplain’s Thought of the Day can be nice for guests, community, and staff. Ask folks in town for similar.

Tweet out about your healthcare org’s volunteers, what they do, number of people, hours, benefits…

Never to early to plan tweets.How about a series on Seasonal Affective Disorder? Symptoms,home remedies,professional help.

Oktoberfest and Healthcare? Tweets about local charity events, local brews (inc rootbeer!), and local food. Drink responsibly.

As weather goes bad, tweet health org’s availability- Road conditions (ask commuters), flooded parking lots, icy sidewalks…

Tip96, the next on the list, says health orgs tweet this fun little gem:Put up a poem, by one of your own.(w/ apologies 2 #hcsm)

Health insurance is on everyone’s’ (US) mind. Can U do an apolitical tweet? Maybe advice about paperwork or provider networks?

@RedCrossPDX Tweet about folks they are currently helping, can other healthcare orgs do the same?

Tip92 Tienen alimentaciones para otras idiomas, sean sensibles al cultural. ¡No utilice un traductor barato! 😉

Heat/Cold emergency in town? List temps at library, pool, in car, in the shade, at the park, at the mall…

Sometimes a phone number is better than a link, and about the same number of characters as bit.ly.

Tweet timely, local, safety issues. “Plz b careful cleaning gutters, peeps have been falling off ladders this week”

Recommend consumer products available locally. Best mouthwash, bandaid, tissuepaper. Ur healthcare pros have opinions-share em

Healthcare orgs promote healthy living- tweet local after school and adult rec classes; dancing, pottery, bridge, ect…

Back to school !Wrk w/ school nurses 4 tweets. “Blackboard fuzzy?U may need glasses”, Pocket handsanitizer. Local H1N1 response.

Healthy football viewing habits includes nutritious snax & 1/2 time exercise. Root for your local team and include tips.

Halloween Candy on sale.Tweet about buying healthy alternatives.(Cite ur DDS) -sugar free gum, pencil topper, fruit roll.

Of course RT local health related info, but how about allowing guests on your feed? Esp posts from the tweetless.

Tweet to promote tours of your hospital. 20 min tours for waiting visitors. Guide would carry pager.

Encourage biking, ask local bike shops/groups for events, favorite rides, sales, and races (spectators get a bit of fresh air!)

Q? Might a healthcare org tweet about lifeflights,ambulances,etc.. that go thru their local community? “incoming trauma”

Proper shelter is a health concern. Health Orgs can help. Get info on heating grants for winter. Tweet 2 spread the word.

Q? Can health org run public feed 4 behind the scenes chatter?Popularity of police radio,NASA TV,Airplane’s Channel 9?

Host a tweet chat with one of your healthcare pros.

Spiders coming inside? Yellow jackets nipping? Insects have seasons too..so tweet topical healthcare tips 4 stings & bites

Ask your local Park and Rec dept for suggestions on walking trails and activities. Be sure to give ’em credit.

Having your health org RT other healthy locals builds community, but can imply an official recommendation

Have your community dietitian run their own tweet feed to help locals with food choices, suggest daily meals, start a community

Ask ur colleagues’ favorite local 1-2 mile walk. Ask ur followers too.Schedule some tweetups.Rate at end.Compile and publish

Publish Tweets in heathcare org’s newsletter, brochures, posters, give-aways, around town, etc.. LED Display Board? Why not!

Is your healthcare org sponsoring folks in Relay for Life, swim-a-thons, other local charity events? Recommend and cover live.

Tweet that it is OK to ask your healthcare pros about hand washing. Tell followers soap recs. and where to buy locally.

Nutritionist tweet healthy eating during holidays. Any way to get around chard hot dogs and salty chips this Labor Day?

Have your healthcare org work with local rec folks (bike shop, gym, ski, boat) and tweet a coupon for their biz.

Tweet that it is OK to ask your healthcare pros about hand washing. Tell followers soap recs. and where to buy locally.

Tweet quick rules of thumb for self exams…eyes, breast cancer, balance, etc…

Be sure to publish your tweets on the hospital website, with an RSS feed. Helps non-tweeters find you. Anonymous access.

Hospital encourage exercise. Tweet upcoming sports season, where 2 learn how, tips 2 do well & avoid injury 5 sprts start Aug.

BadFood, BadBack, BadBreath- Tweet some healthy travel trips. Nutritious travel meals, car exercises, hygiene. Ask followers.

Need healthy tweet tips? Ask the Case Mngr, Infect Cntrl, Risk Mngr, Discharge, Enviro, IT, Parking… All have things to offer.

How about a clinic sponsored Tweetup? A presentation by a public health person, a tour, and cookies! #hcsm9:21 AM Jul 30th from TweetDeck

Tweet which local schools’ running tracks are open to the public? Some do allow us older folks on after school..but check 1st!

Tweet your dietitians’ healthy substitutes: tea for coffee, carrots for candy, fruit for juice. Ask followers for their ideas.

RT @RedCrossPDX @drunkengeebee You question our zombie preparedness? We’re aiming for an @igniteportland presentation…

Does your hospital billing office have any insurance/payment tips you might tweet?(I don’t know.Feel free to reply!)

Plan your clinic’s “Swine” Flu feed now.What to do?Work with your public health and emergency folks.OK if u never have to use

Tweet home health tips sponsored by the nurses. Good for patients & caregivers

Have your mental health pros recommend calm/relaxing places and activities in your local area.

Have your nutritionist tweet their recommend stores for produce in your area. Ask followers for theirs.

Tweet daily workout sched for 1month. Use % increase.Have goal (50% increase).Keep it simple (situps).Have PT/Cardio involved.

Seasonal preparedness tweets: Winter-lights out kit; Summer-emerg. heat kit; Spring-allergy meds & preps; Fall-flu/hand wash.

Tweet your clinicians’ recommendations of healthy books, DVDs, and articles that are also available at the local library.

Can u tweet a nutritional recipe? More fun than link. Salad: 1 C Spinach, 1T Balsamic, .5t Tarragon, .5t Sugar, 2 Strawberries

Tap into your health org’s employee knowledge. Ask them. Cite them. Birding?Horses?Habitat4Humanity? What’s fun in your locale?

PT’s tweet when are good sales on exercise equip. End of season for local used gear, mid season for new (like just about now.)

Change your icon, but keep your branding. Relate to your message. Have a contest: what is it? why is it important?

Tweet reminders about community health facilities- pools, bike paths, walking tours, play grounds, etc.. include staff/dept recs

Tweet topics of the most popular hospital website pages. Evidence based pop frm ur web stats, not what is ‘supposed’ to be pop.

Tweet when there is a fresh pot of coffee and where. Folks like a reason to get out of a waiting room for a bit.

Utilize all your departments’ expertise. E.G. tweet local plant/gardening tips from your grounds crew.

Targeted audience info on general channel tweet? Tell everyone why. “~8% of our city has diabetes. For those who want help…”

Best floor mop? How get walls *really* clean. What tips do your environmental service pros use at home? & quote cite them!

Tweet air pollution info. Burn day? Inversion layer? Have asthma clinic give out info in tweet, not ask people to come in

Dept’s nutritionist recommend this week’s, local, fresh, food; why it is recommended, and a short recipe.

Tweet empathetic facts to humanize & help ambient awareness. Rolls of TP today? # of beds made? Oldest mag in the waiting room?

EG: Best Sugar Cookies: 2.75C Flour, 1t soda, .5t bk pwdr, 1C btr, 1.5C sugr, 1 egg, 2t vanilla, @ 375f. Blood Drive today.

Tweet local walks w/ distance and approx calories burned. Don’t forget the hospital halls and grounds.

Sunburn Alert – advice frm your dermatology dept, sponsored by your org’s window cleaners (even if internal)

Still up at this hour? Get 8 hours of sleep. Set routine. Lights out. -Tweet sponsored by your hospital sleep clinic

Tweet when next bed/room is ready. Surprising how many folks want to know.

Occasional tweets to remind Followers about possible privacy issues, and link to webpage for your hospital’s policy.

Tweet your med library office hours, popular topics/requests, special items- let folks know about your service.

Tweet location of hospital pastor, next public destination, office hours, message of encouragement.

Tweet worship services in your hospital 30 min before start. Good for ambulatory, visitors, and as a reminder.

Tweet weather at hospital entrance, temp/rain/ice/ helps discharges.

Tweet info at the start of local sports seasons. Why good for you and injury prevention.

Tweet what case number the doctor has begun…helps staff as well as those in the waiting room.

Tweet waiting rooms’- full/half/empty. Helps visitors plan; w/ messaging patient waits where comfortable; gain internal metrics.

Tweet location and next destination of hospital volunteer w/coffee cart.

Tweet the number of babies your hospital/clinic welcomed to your local community last week

Tweet hospital cafeteria wait time and special w/ nutritional info…also a link to the recipe (to capture external interest)

Tweet pollen info for next week, prevention/treatment advice from the allergist, *sponsored* by the grounds crew.

Which videos are showing in which waiting rooms. Themes- kids, sports, news. W/ messaging, patients can wait anywhere

Targeted feeds for new parents, chronic conditions, hobbies- current advice w/ local angle

Tweet on local health topic in the news. What’s your org’s take on it. What it means / How it effects your Followers.

Tweet eating right reminders mid-day in your area. “Will you have your 5 fruits and vegs today?”

Tweet med reminders w/ tips: “Take your morning pill(s) yet? Keep them by your tooth brush.”

Targeted Tweet feeds for caregivers, pregnancy, chronic, age groups… W/ local angle. Careful with privacy concerns.

EG: Know a woman > 40? Mammograms take .5 hr. Openings this week. The life you help may be yours. HC reminder w/ local slant

Pharmacy customer takes a #, pharma tweets # and hash when ready. Customer not tied to waiting area, pharma has a new follower.

Tweet heartwarming story title about your office w/ short link. Donor, recipient, birth, volunteer -high touch moments

Tweet the common adult health complaint for last week, and possible preventatives

Tweet local activities/events and why healthly …”de-stress at the college concert this Fri”

Tweet next week’s expected slow times/days to help folks make appointments

Tweet about a meal at a local restaurant that your nutritionist recommends.

Tweet which parking lots are least full…good for internal folks too!

Tweet the wait times in ambulatory surgery.

Tweet what support groups are meeting in your locale tomorrow.

How about a daily tweet from the local pediatric dept on the common ailment from the day before? That would be popular with parents.

Tweets based on patient ID and status- Admitted, in Recovery, Discharged. Systems like SmarTrack are halfway there.

Regularly tweeting (or RSS/Atom/etc…) ER wait times might help providers as well as consumers. Might make for interesting mashups

Another excellent list of uses for Twitter and healthcare is over at Phil Baumann’s “140 Health Care Uses for Twitter“.