Why Social Media's Perceived Hazards Are Actually An Opportunity for Health Innovation

An interesting controversy is heating up in great blogs like HealthMarketingVox and mainstream media like the Boston Globe as a result of Sermo.com, a new Web site that is making it easy for physicians to identify and discuss trends in medicine before they become widely known. 

At the center of this debate loom several very important questions:

Is social media hazardous to the communications channels of the health industry? Can collaborative information networks be trusted to deliver credible information? And will new forums for knowledge sharing help identify important health issues faster?

We suggest the debate be framed in a different way.  The reality is, social networks are here to stay and as technologies get even easier to use (and those in college now become the physicians and the patients of the future) they will only proliferate in prominence in the health sector:  Physicians will continue to use social media to collaborate more not less; Consumer patients will continue to publish their own health experiences more not less. 

The reality is the debate about health information and social media is only just beginning.

That's why for several reasons, we believe, there is an opportunity for industry leaders to learn from the perceived challenges posed by the social media revolution. And if properly thought through, social media will actually be one of the best things to ever happen to the health care industry.  That's because
collaborative information networks will help pharmaceutical companies develop better products and foster closer relationships with consumer patients; health agencies will be able to identify safety issues faster; physicians will be able to tap into the wisdom of their colleagues to become more knowledgeable; and consumer patients will get better health care.

So if social media has such great potential, why is Sermo.com, the quickly growing online community for physicians, already hearing complaints from pharmaceutical makers?  And why did the consumer advocacy group Public Citizens, that frequently petitions the FDA to have dangerous drugs removed from the market, tell to the Boston Globe that companies should not attempt to supplant the FDA's watchdog role?

While the details are largely different, we have seen (and can learn from) similar trends in several other industries (consumer electronics, music, entertainment, automotive, and so on) that have confronted similar disruptions and communications challenges as a result of social media and the Internet. The bottom line is that consumers (or physicians and consumer patients in our case) now have more control than ever before.

In each of those industries, the companies that looked at Internet communications as an advantage rather than something to fear have become the new innovators and leaders of their sector.  Those that recognized and learned early how to cultivate community, promote transparency, and always put their customers first seem to keep coming out as the winners.

We suggest you dip your toe in the water.  Start learning early how to join the discussion in a safe and credible way.  Because if you crack this code, you'll be winning for a long long time.

Comments

[Fard Johnmar]

Thanks for your comments on this important issue and for visting my blog post about it. As you know I have been one of the people encouraging healthcare organizations to embrace social media so that they can benefit from increased transparency, better relationships with stakeholders and improved reputations.

However, I also believe that the path to greater acceptance will require intensive education. This means discussing the pros and cons of social media and providing people with an understanding of why it is important and the threats it poses -- especially in healthcare.

This is why I took the time to highlight the debate going on about Sermo.com. There are serious questions to be answered about the reliability of information provided via social networks. As you are aware Wikipedia deals with this issue every day and is looking for ways to solve this problem. Overall, the path to ensuring that we reap all of the fruits of social media will require a candid discussion of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated with these technologies. This way people can engage social media with both eyes open and have a better experience with it.

Based on your post re: this issue, I think we both agree on that point. Thanks again for expanding the conversation and airing the issues.

[Unity Stoakes]

As usual Fard, you hit the nail on the head. You are completely correct in saying that it is important for us to discuss the pros and cons on this issue so that we can find solutions to the legitimate challenges that currently exist. This sort of honest, direct and transparent assessment will help us create an infrastructure that works to create innovation and better health solutions for all. You have consistently been at the forefront of these issues...