Award-winning medical communications firm enhances social media services to help clients engage customers and patients where they are most apt to gather information — online
Portland, Ore. (June 23, 2008) — Carenet, an award-winning medical and health communications firm, is now offering new services to help clients practice safe, protected consumer engagement in the growing world of Health 2.0 — the use of social media for collaboration between patients, caregivers, medical professionals and other stakeholders. Because the trend toward Health 2.0 is growing so rapidly, Carenet has started utilizing social media platforms to gather consumer information on new products, recruit patients for clinical trials and help clients successfully build, monitor, manage and track their online reputation as they engage with consumers online.
According to a recent report by Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, MA, MHSA, The Wisdom of Patients: Health Care Meets Online Social Media, “The phenomenon of the wisdom of crowds has begun to change consumers’ relationships with their traditional touchpoints in health: physicians, health plans, suppliers and pharmacists. By sharing ideas, discussing symptoms, and debating treatment options together, all of these stakeholders gain knowledge that can ultimately improve patient care.”
Carenet has tapped into the social media phenomenon to help companies glean powerful information at the earliest stages of product research. Carenet’s use of interactive social media to recruit subjects for large-scale clinical trials ensures even speedier completion of product research, higher quality of data, and accuracy of information that consumers will ultimately rely on for the safe use of both pharmaceutical and food products.
According to recent surveys by the Pew Internet Trust, some 80 percent of Americans have used the Internet to find health information, especially those facing diseases or conditions. As of January 2008, the Internet rivaled physicians as the leading source for health information. (iCrossing 2008). In addition, social media is rapidly becoming one of the top ways to gather information. As only 10 percent of consumers currently look to pharmaceutical companies for information, Carenet saw a potential to connect the two and provide social media outlets for consumers through its pharmaceutical clients.
When one of the largest pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare companies planned to launch a new over-the-counter product, it called Carenet. A team of scientific experts in nutrition, nephrology, physiology, biostatistics and informatics compiled a 45 member team of multilingual call center nurses, dietitians and professionals to answer questions on this new drug via a health call center, email and message boards.
Carenet also has monitored, captured and reported Adverse Events (AEs) and Severe Adverse Events (SAEs) on one of the first sponsored blogs for the drug. Participants log into a secure site and can connect with other users, giving them a safe environment to share stories, advice and get support from other participants. Even in the safety of such secure sites, the need for monitoring, management and AE capture and reports is critical. With people sharing their medical and health experiences online, pharmaceutical companies must consider whether to gather information on AEs and SAEs online – especially on sites they sponsor.
Because not everyone who experiences adverse events contacts the pharmaceutical company, this practice provides Carenet with a way to gather additional information about people’s experiences with the drug and provide its client with accurate reporting.
Carenet provides trained healthcare representatives who have medical knowledge and experience and are dedicated to identifying consumer complaints and AEs in addition to a complete understanding of federal and state guidelines for consumer safety.
Food and beverage industries, clinical research organizations, biotechnology, nutriceutical and pharmaceutical industries as well as public relations firms seek Carenet’s healthcare communication expertise. The term “one stop” clearly applies to Carenet, whose staff excels at:
- call center solutions
- medical/health consulting
- clinical trial recruitment and retention
- consumer affairs for direct to consumer campaigns
- adverse event reporting
- consumer/professional health education
- blog, social media and web development
- fulfillment and technical writing
- assistance in creating scientific materials for publication and online communities
About Carenet, LLC
Carenet, LLC is a leading medical and health communications company conceived by academic professionals to serve as a singular source for communicating health-related issues to consumers and health professionals. Carenet works with leading pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and other Fortune 500 companies, as well as healthcare organizations, in developing effective communications strategies through consulting, telecommunications, Internet and other emerging media sources. The firm offers the combined technological and medical expertise necessary to meet the demands and expectations of today’s health-focused public. Visit the Carenet website at www.academicnetwork.com.
For more information, contact:
Claudia Johnson
Claudia@claudiajohnson.com
503.266.1776
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