Study Finds Health Media Disconnect

A Kaiser Permanente study of millions of healthcare related tweets, posts by physicians, journalists and members of Congress found stark differences in how the three groups communicate about healthcare.

The study examined the tweets, online posts by more than 3,000 physicians, 458 members of Congress and 154 journalists. It was conducted in late 2012 for Kaiser by WCG, a media relations firm.

The online data showed that physicians prioritized health education, while media were more focused on the business of health, and Congressional members were fixated on the legislative, judicial, and administrative policies of health.

In one example of how the groups focus, the study concluded that physicians are 67% more likely to discuss healthcare-related preventative behaviors such as washing hands or using sunscreen than journalists – and nearly 500% more than members of Congress.

“We’re not saying that we should listen to one or the other or suggesting that any of the groups is right or wrong — all are appropriately focused on different aspects of health care for legitimate reasons,” said Robert M. Pearl, M.D., chief executive officer of the Permanente Medical Group. “However, it’s our belief and hope that effectively aligning key influencers around the health stories that are most beneficial for the American public could improve health literacy.”