Are hospitals pushing the boundaries of social media tools?

As a marketing professional, it’s great to see how some industries are starting to leverage social media for all of its brand building value.  Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and blogging in general, can supplement traditional marketing programs, or even replace major ad buys to really impact the level of visibility and direct response aimed at targeted end users. That’s really important during these tough economic times where cash strapped organizations need to find ways to reach their audiences with the most cost-effective approaches.

Now, with all of that said (or written), here’s one case that I believe has gone a little too far: Your brain Surgery! Hospitals See Marketing Tool. As you can read, hospitals are now creating YouTube videos of actual brain surgery operations.

What really crosses the line is that while one particular patient is having a craniotomy, she remains conscious, actually promoting her surgeon and the hospital all the while her doctors prod and cut inside her brain.  The hospital (Methodist University Hospital in Memphis) is excited, as over 21,555 people have now watched this video on YouTube.

Yuck. Talk about too much information.

According to Jill Fazakerly, the marketing director of this hospital, “The goal is to further our reputation as well as to educate the community, who will ask their physicians about our care.” That’s all well and good, but what about the very real issue of patient privacy? I have to believe that this hospital is opening itself up to some real legal risks by exploiting someone’s misery (and brain matter) on the Internet in such a graphic way.

The other obvious issue is simply whether this is a matter of good taste gone bad. Yes, the Internet has created a home for sites, stories and satires that would never have existed without it. And, creative marketing has been raised to an entirely new level of existence as well. But, hospitals, by their very nature, are supposed to be a tad more conservative and careful with anything involving their patients. Showing live brain operations on Web video as if they are the same as chef making a great soufflé is just a little crazy. And, I wonder about whether these respectable organizations will look a little too capricious and whimsical because of it.

Don’t get me wrong. I love some of the other ways hospitals have become digital marketing machines. Some doctors are blogging profusely about real life experiences, so that patients and others can comment and learn about the latest in surgery and treatment. Some surgeons actually Twitter from operating rooms before and after surgeries. That’s great as long as it doesn’t interfere with the welfare of any patient. Other hospitals (like University of California San Francisco’s Memory and Aging Center) have a Facebook page that has drawn participants for hard-to-fill clinic trials. This has allowed many people learn a ton of new information about what their love ones suffer from. 

As Ms. Fazakerly said so well, these campaigns are only supposed to enhance a company or organization’s reputation. The type of marketing discipline that a marketer chooses, or the strategy and/or tactic that it decides to implement will have a tremendous impact on whether the marketing campaign actually helps to improve reputation… or hurt it. The fact that hospitals are finding creative digital means is great. But, I’d rethink this literal inside view of what really happens behind the curtain. All it takes is for one video to go awry and a supposed reputation builder will turn into a full blown crisis.

Comments

[Steve Cody]

Totally disagree. This is all about patient education. I guarantee the patient in question signed a waiver allowing the hospital to film the operation in its entirety. It may be over-the-top by some standards, but 100 percent legit in a healthcare system run amok. Patients need to be as educated as possible before selecting a course of treatment and this sort of transparency really helps a patient and his/her family make an informed decision. I say, "bravo," and would only ask that the surgeon not block my view with his surgical glove.

[Ed Moed]

Yes, no doubt every patient signed a waiver. But, we’ll see how strong these actually are when the first patient says he/she was talked into it and isn’t happy with the results of the surgery. Or, this person dies and his kids decide to litigate for whatever reason. Waivers mean nothing in the end. Too over the line. Disagree with you 100 percent.