*Red Cross Tech Talk looks at different technology or social media tools that pertain to the work we do at the Red Cross. Have an idea? Please let us know!
**February 13-17 is Social Media Week in cities around the world. We’ll share some learnings from events held in Toronto throughout the week.
How is the health sector using social media to reach patients or clients and advocate on their behalf? These very questions were top of mind for doctors, nurses and other experts in the health sector Wednesday night at the #HCSMCA Social Media Week session in Toronto.
#HCSMCA is the hashtag for Health Care Social Media Canada, a Twitter chat that takes place every week for those interested in exploring health care issues.
This Twitter chat is especially of interest to many Red Crossers because so much of our programming relates to health, including: home care services; support to seniors and those with disabilities; first aid and CPR; water safety; disaster response relating to health concerns; and international operations, including our Emergency Response Unit field hospital.
During last night’s Social Media Week session presenters talked and shared insight about how we can all use social media and digital channels to improve communications with our clients, provide information and advocate for change.
Catherine Richards of Cause for Concern: Ontario's Long Term Care Homes talked about the growth of the number of seniors using social media tools and how we can all connect with them in those spaces. Doctors and nurses talked about how they are looking to social media to connect with their patients and have their patients facing similar health concerns connect with one another to share information.
I was also interested to hear how one campaign, The Power to Push, set a goal to reduce the number of Cesarean section births in Vancouver. The campaign used the power of online videos to share stories about women’s birthing experiences. The Power to Push was indeed a success with a noted decline in the number of women choosing C-Sections.
For more information about #HCSMCA and topics of interest to health care, check out Colleen’s blog.