Note to the FDA: Speak Up or Move Over — Social Media Guidelines for Healthcare

Note to the FDA: Speak Up or Move Over — Social Media Guidelines for Healthcare

Beverly Ingle is the Health Care Group Account Director at Guerra DeBerry Coody, where she leads an integrated team to develop strategic marketing campaigns. She is passionate about consumer behavior and improving the delivery of quality health care in America. http://www.gdc-co.com

Distributed by http://www.ContentCrooner.com

When seeking out healthcare information, more than 30% of wired adult Americans use social media and more than 60% of those same adults search the internet. It’s little wonder then that all manner of healthcare industry segments are popping up in places like Facebook and Twitter, hoping to generate brand awareness, preference and affinity amid providing educational information and the occasional promotional plug.

It follows that the Federal Drug Administration would soon shine its regulatory spotlight on the healthcare industry’s involvement in social media. Granted, the FDA does have a responsibility to police consumer-directed communication from pharmaceutical companies and protect the general public from erroneous and misleading information.

However, in the absence of clearly defined guidelines from the FDA, just how will the industry’s involvement in social media be monitored?

The FDA is trying to make some headway as quickly as possible. There’s a hidden gem in the FDA website that describes how healthcare information in social media affects consumer behavior, and it includes recommendations to catch up to – and hopefully get ahead of – the curve. That gem is a November, 2009 presentation from McCann Healthcare Worldwide, the first 13 pages of which set the stage and the argument, and the last four pages being those truly worth reading as they spell out some logical recommendations for the FDA with regard to social media.

What I find most interesting is McCann calling out the FDA’s lack of involvement in social media. As stated in the presentation (slide 17 to be exact): “As social network platforms become the dominant communication channel, the FDA must expand and optimize its social network presence. Doing so maximizes reach and frequency of news, information and functionality distribution to both healthcare professionals and patients – on their chosen networks.”

Ironically, while the FDA is gearing up to define the social media boundaries, it has yet to fully understand or capitalize on the power, reach and importance of social media.

McCann goes on to make a recommendation that I liken to something any parent of a teenager can identify with: To keep your kids on the straight and narrow, get involved and communicate in a way they will hear and understand you…frequently and loudly. Or in your absence, the void will fill with a preponderance of half-truths and inaccurate information that leads to confusion and, perhaps, poor choices. Everyone knows that trying to correct the misinformation a teenager swears is valid is an uphill battle.

The bottom line is this: In the absence of comprehensive, official information from the FDA, the best way in which the agency can protect the consumer from erroneous or misleading information is to define social media guidelines, clearing a path for a surrogate parent — manufacturers – to fill the void with responsible, appropriate information.

So to the FDA, think of addressing social media guidelines as “Parenting 101″. If you need help, there’s sure to be plenty parents of teenagers on your staff to assist.

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