After the Fort Hood shootings, Twitter proves useful for one hospital

For many people, social media sites like Twitter and Facebook are frequently used to quote movie lines or discuss whether they had coffee or hair of the dog with their Corn Flakes. But from a professional standpoint, The Joint Commission is encouraging the use of social sites for emergency management purposes.

Thursday’s shootings at Fort Hood, TX, let one facility rev up its Twitter presence with useful updates and information. Scott & White Hospital in Temple, TX, received 10 shooting victims, and kept folks informed through its “SWHealthcare” Twitter account, including the following posts:

• A phone number for concerned family members to call
• The operating status of the hospital and its ER
• Where volunteers could give blood donations (and wait times)
• Links to further updates on the hospital’s Web site

In its August 2009 Environment of Care News, The Joint Commission pointed out that emergency management standard EM.02.02.01 requires hospitals to prepare for emergency communications with staff members, external authorities, patients, families, media, vendors, and other healthcare facilities. Social media sites are a good strategy for emergency communication.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our own “HospitalSafety” Twitter account, a great way to keep up on the latest developments.