Communicating with patients: Stick with the tried and true

Guest post by Nancy Cawley Jean, senior media relations officer for the Lifespan health system in Rhode Island

Over the years, the way we communicate with patients has changed drastically. I remember the days when, working for a health plan, we would coordinate postal mailings. Then email came along and then text messaging. And of course, there's always been traditional media outlets--television, newspaper and radio.

We've all seen the statistics about how many people are on social media: Seventy-three percent of adults online use a social network and 42 percent use multiple networks. On top of that, reports show at least 50 percent of people get their national and international news from the Internet.

Folks in communications and marketing say we have to reach out to people where they are through mobile advertising, social networks, videos, etc. Many people consider the press release dead while newspapers fold left and right.

>> Read the full commentary at Hospital Impact