This document discusses healthcare social media in German-speaking countries. It provides information on internet usage rates, platforms used for healthcare discussions like Twitter and Facebook, and differences between countries. Key points include: Internet usage in these countries is around 80%; 50% of Swiss internet users look up healthcare info online; Austrian healthcare searches increased from 35% to 52% from 2010-2011; German hospitals have increased Facebook presence from 10 in 2010 to over 2000 in 2012. The document advocates listening to understand audiences and exploring organically rather than fearing customers.

1. A way from Global to Local
Some bits about
Healthcare Social Media in
German speaking countries
Austria Germany - Switzerland
Dr. Michaela Endemann Vienna, Austria, @wissit
22.Nov.2012 Madrid

2. Fit for Healthcare Social Media?
Where are we?
Patients, Hospitals, Docs, Pharmacies, Pharma Industry
Listen, Explore ...
Outlook - Bridging the gap from explore to
engage?

3. Healthcare Systems
Switzerland: 26 autonomous Regions = 26
Healthcare Systems*
Germany: public health and private insurance
Austria:
* Health insurance is compulsory
* covers 99% of inhabitants
* High density of easily accessible health
care facilities
*A. Schmid - www.e-health-suisse.ch,, pic: www.pharmig.at

4. Rate of Internetuse around Europe - 2012
80%
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats4.htm#europe

5. Internetusage of Internetusers for Healthcare Info
Switzerland:
50 %
s25, http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/news/publikatio
nen.html?publicationID=4742
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page
/portal/information_society/data/main_tables

6. What happend in Austria between 2010 and 2011?
35 % --> 52 %
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/informatio
n_society/data/main_tables

7. Looking up for Healthcare Info
Magazines - > Variety of wellness and healthcare
magazines in DACH
- > Special Austrian Supplements in
German Magazines
- > Austrian Health Magazines
Newspaper - > Daily and Weekly Newspaper with
supplements of healthcare topics
Books - > Publishing Companies and Bookstores with
special interest in Healthcare/Wellness
exc. pics from Websites of Magazines /publs.companies

8. Twitter
about 100.000 Accounts (= about 1 % of Internetusers)
who is tweeting: Journalists, Social Media Experts, Consultants,
Scientific Study: The Austrian Political Twittersphere www.socialmediaradar.at
http://www.univie.ac.at/twitterpolitik/
*Data 18.9.2012, www.socialmediaradar.at,
twittericon: www.smashingmagazine.com

9. #hcsmat
startet #hcsmat in Nov 2011
healthcare discussion on twitter with an unique #
other german hashtags/words with diverse
usage:
#elga #gesundheit #krankenhaus #spital
pic/stats www.symplur.com

10. Facebook
US: 54 %
UK: 53%
http://www.socialbakers.com/

11. German Hospitals on Facebook
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
May 2010 Nov Mar 2011 July 2011 May 2012
2012: 2045 Hospitals Stats and Info:
195 on FB -> abt 14 % @gesundheitswirt
(Double Pages per Hospitals Martin Schleicher
http://gesundheitswirt.posterous.com
possible)
http://de.slideshare.net/gesundheitswirt/was-
machen-kliniken-in-social-media-facebook-was-
sonst?from=ss_embed

12. Explore - Hospitals on Facebook

13. Pharma in Austria
10 % large Companies with more than 250
employees
40 % mid-sized with between 10 and 250
employees
50 % small sized Companies with not more than
10 employees
Source and further info: www.pharmig.at

14. Localized Content/Website
Infosites Personalized Medicine: Pfizer
.de .at .ch

15. Doctors Patients - Pharmacists
Patients
P atient
Pharmacists
Physicians
D oc
pic Apotheke: M.Endemann

16. P
atient
Online Healthcare Info -where ?
Where do you look up for HC Info?
on hospital websites
netdoktor.de
netdoktor.at
on physicians websites
gesund.co.at %
meduniqa.at
gesundundleben.at
none
other
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
free answers: Websites in English, Wikipedia.de
non representative own email survey, Austria, 2011, n= 37, *incl free answers ont other

17. P
atient
Why were you looking for Healthcare Information on the Internet?
Why?
Look up for people with same condition
Look up for alternatives
Want more information about treatment
Want more information about medication %
Want more about my diagnosis
There was no physician to ask
Want to be informed well
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
non representative own email survey, Austria, 2011, n= 37

18. P
atient
Trust, Overflow, Satisfied?
There is too much nonsense:
76
No no yes
8
Dont trust Internet HC Info:
81 No
5
Irritation with Info-overflow?
49 No
35
0
Would look up again? 89 Yes
8
Satisfied with Internet Healthcareinfo? 81 Yes
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
non representative own email survey, Austria, 2011, n= 37

19. D oc
Docs and Social Media
yes %
Twitter? 3
Closed Networks for Physicians? 34
Facebook? 35
(comment: mostly private usage)
In General: Using Social Media? 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
non representative personal survey at a medical Congress 2011, n=64 , publ. in Arzt und Patient, www.prometus.at

20. Pharmacies
Do you use Social Media? (%) Do you look for Healthcare
2 Information on the Internet?
9 yes
19
no 80% yes
only private
no answer
70
free answers: which?
Facebook, Blogs, Intranet
non representative own email survey, Austria, 2011, n= 47, and free answers

21. Health Literacy - Europe
The level ovf healt-literacy varies significantly
across European Countries
Strong social graduant Linked to age,
education and socio-economic status
http://www.hls-eu.info/
health-literacy.eu

22. Health Literacy around Europe
(some details): Percentages of General Health Literacy Levels Thresholds
for Countries and Total (graph 10)
www.health-literacy.eu - grapfh 10 http://goo.gl/hxUG2 (pdf)

23. What to do next?
Know your audience:
Country, Language, Culture, Medialandscape and Usage
Help people to adapt in their own way social
media activities are growing organically
Dont fear your customers they dont bite
Every country has its own process
respect that in your activities

24. Europe will never be the United States of Europe,
a single country with a common language
We have too many cultures and languages ...
Umberto Eco http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/26/umberto-eco-culture-war-europa?INTCMP=SRCH
pic - http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa

25. Reach out for Light Bulbs
Explore! Listen!
Ask!
Engage!

26. Thank you!
Dr. Michaela Endemann
Biologist, Blogger, Communication Strategist
Vienna, Austria
@wissit
0699/11713671
wissit@gmail.com
www.wissit.at
www.medtermine.at
Special thanks to
@rohal - Rob Halkes
and
Frank Butschbacher