Evaluating the Presence of Hospitals on Social Media: An Analytical Study of Private and Public Hospital Instagram Accounts in the State of Kuwait

Anwar F. AlHussainan, Zahraa A. Jasem, Dari Alhuwail

Source Title: International Journal of Healthcare Information Systems and Informatics (IJHISI)17(2)

ISSN: 1555-3396|EISSN: 1555-340X|EISBN13: 9781799878254|DOI: 10.4018/IJHISI.299954

MLA

AlHussainan, Anwar F., et al. "Evaluating the Presence of Hospitals on Social Media: An Analytical Study of Private and Public Hospital Instagram Accounts in the State of Kuwait." IJHISI vol.17, no.2 2022: pp.1-17. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJHISI.299954

APA

AlHussainan, A. F., Jasem, Z. A., & Alhuwail, D. (2022). Evaluating the Presence of Hospitals on Social Media: An Analytical Study of Private and Public Hospital Instagram Accounts in the State of Kuwait. International Journal of Healthcare Information Systems and Informatics (IJHISI), 17(2), 1-17. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJHISI.299954

Chicago

AlHussainan, Anwar F., Zahraa A. Jasem, and Dari Alhuwail. "Evaluating the Presence of Hospitals on Social Media: An Analytical Study of Private and Public Hospital Instagram Accounts in the State of Kuwait," International Journal of Healthcare Information Systems and Informatics (IJHISI) 17, no.2: 1-17. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJHISI.299954

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Abstract

Today, adults are using social media to seek health information. Evidence suggests that hospitals using Instagram reported better patient engagement and in turn increased profit and reputation. Yet, little is known about how public and private hospitals are leveraging Instagram. This study aims to analyze the presence of hospitals on Instagram using Kuwait as a case study. Hospitals were identified using the Ministry of Health's website and Instagram. Posts collected from seven odd months were analyzed using the Constant Comparison method. A total of 3,439 posts were distributed across six categories: health advice and education, operations and services, current events, hospital community, seasonal occasions, and trivia. Public and private hospitals differed in their activity on Instagram in terms of health topics covered, post categories, and interactions. Hospitals should improve their presence on Instagram to promote healthy lifestyles, augment public health campaigns, and be a source of reliable and accessible health information online.