Social media: How hospital facebook activity may influence patient satisfaction

Health Mark Q. 2020 Jan-Mar;37(1):1-9. doi: 10.1080/07359683.2020.1713573. Epub 2020 Feb 4.

Abstract

Some hospitals use social media to promote accurate health-related education, information, and engage consumers. We performed multiple linear regression analyses to determine the associations between hospital Facebook activity and patient satisfaction for 390 hospitals. Hospitals that had a Facebook page were active on Facebook in the past 30 days and had more "likes," had more patients willing to definitely recommend the hospital, and had a higher overall satisfaction score. Practitioners can use the results when considering whether a minimal financial investment in social media may be worth customer loyalty and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Systems (CMS) reimbursement benefits.

Keywords: Hospitals; satisfaction; social media.

MeSH terms

  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. / statistics & numerical data
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Hospitals*
  • Humans
  • Marketing*
  • Patient Satisfaction*
  • Quality Indicators, Health Care*
  • Reimbursement Mechanisms / economics
  • Social Media / statistics & numerical data*
  • United States