Twitter’s unique platform allows access to all links of the healthcare chain

Digital Health Live 2015 #DHL2015, the world’s first interactive digital healthcare conference and exhibition, is shedding light on the changing world of healthcare in the digital age. Beyond the technological advancements of the modern age, the immediate and global conversations online create a new level of access and engagement for pharmaceutical companies, healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients alike.

In recent years, the public is turning more to online communities for their healthcare needs where Twitter is considered one of the best tools in the healthcare digital conversation. In a 2012 study by PwC, Consumers spend twenty-four times as much time on healthcare consumer community websites than on other company sites. Additionally, for the younger generation, nearly 90% of 18-to-24-year-olds indicated they would engage in health activities through social media and especially Twitter.

“The digital conversation of healthcare is growing every day and allowing a richer, more immediate interaction,” said Denise Silber, founder and curator of Doctors 2.0 & You, annual international digital health conferences in Paris, “All of healthcare’s stakeholders use Twitter: patient's, healthcare professionals, hospitals, industry, government, changing the landscape from a one-to-one communication to a global conversation. And no platform reinforces these links in the healthcare communication chains like Twitter.”

According to Forbes, in 2014 there were more than 300 million healthcare related Tweets, most prominent of which was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge using the hashtag #ALS, which raised $115 million over a three-month period. Twitter is also used by activists and companies alike to track public works and government policy, most recently with @MayoClinic’s neurological arm @MayoClinicNeuro who was following Dr. Amaal Starling’s (@AmaalStarling) journey to Capitol Hill to raise funding for Migraine and Post Traumatic Headache disorders research.

Healthcare Tweeting may even play a role in the diagnostic stage. A study from the Journal of Medical Internet Research in 2013 found that keywords in Tweets can help physicians identify an outbreak of influenza or pertussis (whooping cough), which could be used to help target awareness campaigns and hospital and clinic preparedness.

Obesity and the rising rate of diabetes in the region is one way in which the Saudi community is using Twitter to create lasting impact. According to the International Diabetes Federation, KSA is ranked 2nd in the world in terms of diabetes prevalence, with nearly 24% of the population living with the condition. Saudi Arabia also has one of the highest rates of Diabetes in the world. The International Diabetes Care Center (IDCC) at Prince Sultan Road (@IDCC_KSA) hosted a Ramadan campaign for children aged between 9 to 12 years to educate them on ways to make healthy choices regarding their health and lifestyles. Thirty kids in total, half of them boys, were involved in the program for three hours every day during Ramadan. The children in the campaign learned how to prepare healthy meals for themselves as well as exercises to maintain themselves and have healthier lifestyles. #تحكم_بالسكري