If used the right way, a Facebook page can be a great tool for hospitals and healthcare clinics to engage their communities. For an excellent example take a look at the Facebook page of Boston’s Children Hospital. See how it skillfully offers helpful information and encourages deeper engagement and interaction with its viewers. I’ve created video review to show you how the hospital makes skillful use of the features available on a Facebook page.
How hospitals and healthcare clinics can use their facebook page to engage current and prospective patients
May is Stroke Awareness Month
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and the leading cause of serious long-term disability. Nearly three-quarters of all strokes occur in people aged 65 years or older. The chances of having a stroke double each decade after the age of 55.
Timing is crucial in lowering the risk of disability or death in a stroke. If you suspect someone is having a stroke call 911 or emergency medical services immediately. Here are 5 major signs of a stroke , according to the American Stroke association.
SUDDEN
•Numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
• Trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• Trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance and coordination.
• Severe headache with no known cause.
Wild mushrooms could be powerful weapon against prostate cancer
Dr. Chang-Yan Chen, a research investigator at Harvard Medical School, has done some groundbreaking research on the effects of wild Asian mushrooms on cancer. The results were reported in the scientific journal, PLoS One, and summarized in the Natural Health Dossier:
“The researchers injected mice with human prostate cancer cells. They were then treated with the mushroom every two days for 12 days. Although the treatment did not prevent tumors from forming, it did slow their growth.
After 12 days, the mice were again treated with the mushroom. This time, the tumors began to shrink. Analysis of the data showed that a protein – caspase-3 – had been activated. Caspase-3 is known to promote “apoptosis,” the mechanism that causes cancer cells to destroy themselves….
Other studies have found that the mushroom suppressed the formation and growth of aggressive breast cancer cells…..
What makes this mushroom so promising as a cancer treatment is that not only does it promote apoptosis (programmed cell death), it also inhibits the naturally invasive behavior of cancer cells. It does this by inhibiting angiogenesis – the formation of new blood vessels that “’feed” cancer cell growth.'”
from the Natural Health Dossier
The mushroom that offers these beneficial properties is Sanghuang mushroom. It is available as both a supplement and as a tea. Both can be found in most Asian grocery stores
New software sifts through health-related conversations on social media platforms
Health concerns have long been one of the top reasons people use the Internet and social media. Now LiquidGrid, a LaJolla, CA-based tech company has develped software to mine online, health-related conversations, sifting through posts on Facebook, Twitter as well as the blogosphere.
The software “captures some 2 million posts per day about human health from social web hotspots such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube as well as the blogosphere,” says founder and CEO Malcolm Bohm.
Based on the data the the software gathers, LiquidGrid’s customers, which include pharmaceutical and medical device companies, can develop ad campaigns that address conversations their target audience is engaging in online.
Using direct mail to drive physician-to-physician referrals
Who are you going to listen to when you need a referral to a doctor? In most cases a doctor, whether it is your primary physician in your healthcare plan or a physician in another specialty.
So it makes sense to devote some attention to marketing to other physicians. PracticePlus has developed a kind of fill-in the blanks direct mail template system to make this easier. Why direct mail? Research shows that doctors pay more attention to direct mail than email.
For example for an orthopedic surgery practice used the temples (called WordOut) to create an introductory brochure and announcements about a new office.
“They did an overview of kyphoplasty, which is a minimally invasive repair to damaged vertebrae profil,” says Hughes Bakewell, PracticePlus president. 108 direct new referring physicians were directly attributable to the mailing,” says Bakewell.
-From a case study in Target Marketing magazine.
The iPod as healthcare aid for elderly
In this video you see an elderly man who is almost inert in a nursing home. He is given an iPod containing his favorite music. The man immediately lights up. Sings, rocks, hums. The beneficial effects last even after the iPod is taken away.
We see that a key element is filling the iPod with music that is meaningful to the person. Medical philosopher Oliver Sachs commenting on the video suggests that music brings people who are “out of it” back “into it.” Back to life. Watch and be amazed at the power of music.
Avado – A health platform that let’s doctors and patients manage health information together
Avado is a cloud-based Patient Relationship Management system that helps doctor patient work together more efficiently. Here’s how it works. A doctor subscribes to Avado and receives a suite of tools to easily create a website where patients can fill out intake forms, schedule appointments, get weekly medication reminders and track symptoms for chronic conditions. Patients and doctors work agree on which metrics they will track and share. According to Dave Chase, the founder, Avado “considers the patient a partner in the process.”
