Social Media For Consumer Engagement: Co-Creating Guidance for Hospitals, Service Providers and Consumers

There has been interest in using social media for consumer engagement in hospitals, particularly for service design and quality improvement, but services have identified a need for guidance. This article outlines the methods used to involve stakeholders in the development of a guide for the use of social media as a consumer engagement tool for Australian public hospitals, and describes the changes to the guide and implementation findings that resulted from stakeholder involvement. The development of the guide involved cycles of two interrelated methods – (1) small group co-creation involving three hospital consumer representatives, three service provider representatives and three academics gathering and analysing data, and integrating findings into the development of the guide; and (2) a consultation with eighteen hospital stakeholders who provided feedback on versions of the guide throughout its development. Participants were encouraged to use their experience as service providers and consumers to reflect broadly on how the content and design of the guide could support social media-based consumer engagement within their particular setting. The co-creation and consultation methods led to four main feedback themes: (1) Enhancing usability is critical for guidance resources; (2) Executive support and teamwork are essential for implementation; (3) Start small and build experience and knowledge over time; and (4) Thinking about new methods brings up questions around existing practice. Involving stakeholders in the design process through co-creation and consultation methods led to critical changes to the guide, enhancing its usability and creating a focus in the guide on building organisational and individual capacity around service design and improvement. Involving stakeholders in the development of the guide also allowed us to translate existing research knowledge into practical implementation strategies and tools, and may increase the likelihood of the guide being used by hospitals, providers and consumers.