Today's Episode
Key TakeawaysÂ
Misinformation
- The No Normal is rife with conditions that make truth, transparency, and combatting misinformation challenging.
- An inconsistent response to COVID, disagreement about testing, changing case and death data, uncertain information on therapeutics, and a rush to develop a vaccine all present cracks in the truth and accuracy.
- As a result, we data such as only 31% of people trusting COVID-19 information coming from the government.
- More importantly, we have a whole populace that has to work really hard to figure out what is true and trustworthy as they try to live through this period of time.
- There is some sort of silver lining in this, and it's where hospital and health system marketers come in.
- While trust in government and institutions has dropped, confidence and trust in hospitals and healthcare providers has increased.
- 76% of Americans surveyed by Public Opinion Strategies hold a favorable view of hospitals.
- 9/10 people said doctors and nurses were trustworthy resources of information, according to a recent Harris poll.
- "The organizations that Americans trust most are those who are in the trenches delivering, which is why you see doctors and nurses as number one," Rob Jekielek, Managing Director with The Harris Poll, told Fierce Healthcare.
- That puts hospital and health system marketers in a unique position — one that comes with significant responsibility.
- From our own research, we've seen that consumers trust and have confidence in local healthcare.
- Some hospitals and health systems are shying away from that trust.
- This trusted position hospitals/health systems are in comes with considerable responsibility, but it's such an important time to seize.
- The spread of misinformation across social channels is especially rapid.
- Hospitals and health systems can use their digital channels and social platforms as megaphones for truth and accuracy
- The misinformation volume is only going to get louder over the next several months with new hotspots, therapeutic and vaccine claims (and opposition), and the scoring of political points in the run-up to the election.
