In a medical emergency, we’re rarely lucky enough to elect which hospital we’ll end up at. But for elective or planned procedures, the situation is often completely different—if you do your research. But should investigations into a hospital’s strengths and weaknesses involve a little Facebook stalking, too? It might, at least according to a recent study in the American Journal of Medical Quality. Researchers tabulated the number of Facebook “likes” doled out by users to 40 different hospitals in the New York City area. Then, they determined whether those likes had any connection to more traditional markers of hospital quality and patient satisfaction. Indeed, they found a strong negative correlation between a hospital’s 30-day mortality rate and the number of “likes” on their page, as well as a positive correlation between patient satisfaction rankings and Facebook fandom. But make no mistake: Facebook is by no means the best way to figure out which hospital offers the best care for your particular condition—and researchers aren’t recommending that patients use the site for that purpose. At least, not yet. “As we better understand what social media can tell us about healthcare quality, we think it will provide informed health consumers with some rich, validated, real-time data to make decisions,” says study co-author Paloma Luisi, a research associate at the Healthcare Innovation & Technology Lab. Until that time comes, there are some reliable ways to scout out the best hospital, says Tod Barry, a patient safety officer at UCLA. Here’s how to do it: Skip Facebook, scour this website. Don’t rely on Facebook, or the myriad hospital rating sites that populate Google search results. Instead, check out the Medicare Hospital Compare Site, a federal resource that’s reliable and easy to use. The site collects data from Medicare patients on satisfaction, timeliness and effectiveness of care, and readmissions and complications. Look for accreditations. Ensure that any hospital you’re considering have the necessary accreditations and certifications. The gold standard is a certification from The Joint Commission, a non-profit that operates quality checks on more than 20,000 health care organizations across the country. See for yourself. Barry suggests taking a physical tour of the hospital—guided or not—to assess the environment. Does it smell clean? Is the staff friendly? Are they relaxed? “When it comes to choosing a hospital, your first impression is an okay thing to go off, especially if you believe that healing takes place in the mind as well as the body,” he says. “If you need a trusting environment, you’ll get that feeling pretty fast.” Ask questions. “People should not be afraid or embarrassed to ask for information from the hospital or the physician, about the number of similar procedures they’ve performed, the success rate, or the like,” Barry says. It sounds obvious, but too few patients actually inquire—and your ideal treatment center will have nothing to hide. Questions? Comments? Contact Prevention’s News Team.
