Hospital’s Facebook ‘likes’ reflects the mankind rates, investigate finds


If you’re perplexing to confirm what sanatorium has a best record in terms of reserve and studious satisfaction, we might wish to check in initial with Facebook. 

A new study, published in a American Journal of Medical Quality, found a amicable media site was a arguable indicator of sanatorium quality.

“Any sanatorium can start a Facebook page, though those with aloft levels of peculiarity and studious compensation are some-more expected to attract ‘likes’ to their page.”

– American Journal of Medical Quality

Compared with other businesses, hospitals have been behind a amicable media curve. According to a 2011 investigate of hospitals in a New York City civil area, usually about half had a Facebook page. And a ones who do have a page, don’t concede comments or interactions, tying a efficacy of amicable media.

For this study, a researchers wanted to ask 3 questions: How many hospitals in a representation of 82 hospitals in a New York City area had a Facebook page? How many “likes” did a sanatorium have? Is a series of “likes” on a hospital’s Facebook page correlated with normal indicators of peculiarity and studious satisfaction?

The researchers compared a 30-day mankind rates from heart attacks and information display a commission of people who would suggest a sanatorium to a series of “likes” on a hospitals’ Facebook pages. 

They found reduction than half a hospitals had a Facebook page. Of those that did, “likes” were definitely compared with a commission of recommendations. What’s more, for each one commission indicate diminution in a 30-day mankind rate, there were roughly 93 some-more “likes” on Facebook. 

In fact, “likes” were some-more predictive of mankind rates than studious recommendations (those who pronounced they would suggest a hospital).

The investigate also found that training hospitals had a reduce series of “likes” than normal hospitals. The researchers suggested that this might simulate peculiarity issues during these hospitals.

“Any sanatorium can start a Facebook page, though those with aloft levels of peculiarity and studious compensation are some-more expected to attract “likes” to their page,” a authors wrote. “Public health researchers and hospitals can use Facebook “likes” as a substitute for sanatorium peculiarity and studious satisfaction.”

One of a hospitals with a top series of “likes” and a lowest mankind rates was  Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. 

A new Facebook criticism read, “I wish to appreciate everybody during a Antepartum Dept., Labor and Delivery, Mother and Baby East wing, and generally to all a staff in a NICU Dept. Love we all and we guys are all like my family.” Now that’s some sanatorium love.

The authors conceded that a series of factors can minister to “likes” including how many posts a administrators make, either visitors are authorised to make comments on a page and other strategy enlivening spectator participation. 

But when they tranquil for these factors, they still found an organisation between “likes” and mankind as good as recommendations. Still, Facebook should usually be a starting point.  Though many hospitals with some-more “likes” had a lowest mankind rates, some hospitals with a low series of likes also had low mankind rates.

To find out some-more about a hospital’s turn of caring and studious satisfaction, we can also go to Consumer Report’s sanatorium ratings page and to a Hospital Compare webpage of a sovereign government’s Medicare website.

Laurie Tarkan is an award-winning health publisher whose work appears in a New York Times, among other inhabitant magazines and websites. She has authored several health books, including “Perfect Hormone Balance for Fertility.” Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

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