Health-care workers exploring social media

Hospitals are all tweeted up about the possibility of using social media in health care.

More than 75 people attended a recent day-long summit on social media that was sponsored by the Texas Hospital Association. Association spokesman Amanda Engler said social media is a new world for many heath-care providers, and this was one way to help them explore tweets, blogs, instant messaging and other tools.

For Austin's St. David's HealthCare system, it was a chance to build on the ideas the hospital has already put in place. St. David's already has a Twitter account, along with a network of niche blogs, including one for expecting parents. St. David's officials said they hope to expand their social-networking reach to build community, both for patients and health-care providers.

"There's just tremendous opportunity in social media for health care," said Christin Cross, St. David's corporate director of communication.

"Health care is the perfect application for social media," Ms. Cross said. "Patients are always looking for resources."

The seminars also gave hospital employees tools to navigate the tricky legal situations that come along with reaching out to patients and communities via social media, because of privacy laws that specifically address health care.

Ms. Cross said that its important for hospitals to have strict policies for social media to protect patient privacy, while still achieving technology's goals.

Participants also had a chance to interact with each other and to share their experiences entering the social-tech world.

"Our idea was to sort of harness what others have already learned," Ms. Engler said.