Studies
Using Facebook in a patient-centred way
As we manage numerous fan pages for medical practices, we are faced with the monthly challenge of researching relevant topics and interesting news from the world of medicine and preparing "Facebook-appropriate" posts. The question "What do fans really expect from a practice fan page?" is just as important as the respective goal that is being pursued with the fan page (e.g. gaining new patients or retaining patients). In order to complement the experience gained in fan page management, we launched the first survey in Germany on doctor-patient communication via Facebook.
Key data
Period:
June 2013 - September 2013
Participants:
178 persons
Gender distribution:
76 % female
24 % male
Average age:
38 years (median: 35, SD: 9.184)
Insurance situation:
67 % Statutory insurance
17 % privately insured
11 % voluntary statutory insurance
5 % not specified
Question
Are Facebook users really interested in becoming a "fan" of a medical practice? Which topics are actually of interest to fans of a medical practice fan page? And how often do fans want to read news from their medical practice on Facebook? Our study "Patient-orientated use of Facebook" provides answers to these and other questions.
Results of the study
The practice marketing study involved a total of 178 people and was conducted using an online survey tool with a standardised questionnaire (period: May 2013 to September 2013). Participants were recruited via patient forums on the Internet and via an untargeted and widely distributed e-mailing campaign. Only the responses of those participants who stated that they were members of Facebook were taken into account (146 people and therefore 82 % of the participants). 76 % of the participants were female, 24 % male. The mean age was 38 years (median: 35, SD: 9.184), with the youngest participant being 21 years old and the oldest participant 60 years old. 67 % had statutory insurance, 17 % had private insurance, 11 % had voluntary statutory insurance and 5 % of the participants did not state their insurance situation.
Poster on the study
The poster for our study "Winning patients on Facebook" is available here → download ready.
RESULT 1:
Great fan potential available
Of the 146 people surveyed who are members of Facebook, only 17 % were already fans of a practice fan page on Facebook. 28 % of the participants stated that although they were not yet a fan of a medical practice on Facebook, they could imagine doing so in the future. With regard to a total of 28 million Facebook members in Germany, this results in 7.84 million potential practice fans on Facebook nationwide. Just under half of the participants (48 %) are not fans of a doctor's surgery and apparently show no motivation to change this in the future. 7 % are not sure.
RESULT 2:
News from the field particularly worth reading
General news from everyday practice life, for example the introduction of employees or information about practice holidays and substitutions are of particular interest to 36 % of the fans of a practice fan page. Also in demand are references to interesting press articles (21 %) and brief information on medical news (18 %). Around 13 % are happy about surveys (e.g. "How should the perfect waiting room be furnished?") and 12 % find pictures from everyday practice life interesting (e.g. pictures from the practice outing).
RESULT 3:
One to three postings per week is sufficient
The majority of fans of a medical practice (46 %) are already satisfied with one published news item per week. 22 % of the fans hope for 2 to 3 news items per week, 13 % find 2 to 3 news items per month and 10 % one news item per month sufficient. 5 % of the participants hope for several news items from their medical practice every day and only 4 % find a few news items per year sufficient.
At this point, however, it should be mentioned that one post per month would certainly be too little to ensure the necessary attention. It must be taken into account that the "shelf life" of a message on Facebook is very short and is quickly replaced by other news. In addition, users are not always online and therefore understandably only see a small proportion of all the news. Another limitation is Facebook's filtering of news, which should be taken into account and, if necessary, bypassed using the "highlight" function for important news.
Conclusion
The results of the study conducted indicate that a practice presence on Facebook is definitely in demand and used by patients. Information from the practice, short and interesting medical news and references to relevant press articles cover the majority of the content desired by practice fans. The majority of practice fans on Facebook want 1-3 publications per week, whereby the author recommends a minimum of 2 news items per week due to the short "shelf life" of Facebook news. Facebook is currently hardly used to search for a new doctor, with practice fan pages also being found via Google search, which in turn is used by the majority of patients (66 %) to find a new doctor.
Given that there are now 28 million Facebook users in Germany, with an average age of 30, a practice presence on Facebook is therefore recommended for practice marketing and with regard to patient acquisition and patient loyalty.
Literature
[1] Social Media Atlas 2011: Faktenkontor, IMWF Institut für Management- und Wirtschaftsforschung GmbH and Toluna Germany GmbH.
[2] ARD/ZDF online study 2012;
[3] Facebook.com, Facebook Ad Planner, 30/09/2013
