Mayo Clinic adds Spanish social media sites

Mayo Clinic has expanded it social media presence to include the Spanish language.

The Rochester, Minn.-based hospital system announced in July that it had launched Mayo Clinic en español, a Spanish Facebook page, and @ClinicaMayo, a Spanish-language Twitter feed, both designed to communicate more effectively with their Spanish-speaking patients and colleagues.

Victor Montori, MD, an endocrinologist and medical director of the Center for Social Media at Mayo Clinic, said in a YouTube interview -- conducted in English and Spanish -- that the motivation for launching these sites was twofold. The organization first wanted to improve the quality of information shared in social networks by offering it in Spanish for those who communicate mostly in that language. Mayo Clinic also wanted to improve its ability to listen to the needs of patients and colleagues who communicate in Spanish.

"The dialogue between health professionals and patients should lead to health services more responsive to the needs and preferences of patients," Dr. Montori said. "That is our primary mission, in the clinic and online."

For years, Mayo Clinic has been considered a leader among health care organizations when it comes to use of social media. Its Facebook page has more than 54,000 followers, and its Twitter feed has more than 200,000 followers.

At this article's deadline, the Spanish Twitter feed @ClinicaMayo had more than 1,000 followers. The Mayo Clinic also offers versions of its website in Spanish and Portuguese.

"Our desire is that Mayo Clinic offers an authentic and honest voice that promotes the interests of patients in an environment that is plagued by an otherwise unreliable and commercially biased source of information," Dr. Montori said. "Social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter also allow us to listen to the patient's voice in a more clear and direct manner."

In July, Mayo Clinic, which has campuses in Phoenix and Jacksonville, Fla., launched its online social networking site. The site was created to help patients going through similar experiences to help and support one another. More than 1,000 people signed up the first seven days after it launched. The site is open to anyone. In addition to letting users share experiences and connect with other patients, the site has educational resources from its various blogs and other social networking channels.