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The impact of social media on the diabetes industry

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The impact of social media on the diabetes industry

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Content i The Impact of Social Media on the Diabetes Industry by Nadia Rahim A Thesis Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS (STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS) May 2014 Copyright 2014 Nadia Rahim ii Dedication The following work would not have been possible without the love and support of my parents Zeena and Zahid Rahim. Throughout my life, they never once faltered in their encouragement for me to go after my dreams despite how far fetched they might have seemed at the time. Mom and Dad, thank you for always being a strong support system and always believing in me. I wouldn’t be who I am without you both. iii Acknowledgements Going through the process of writing a thesis can be an emotional and stressful journey, however having an intellectual and motivating team supporting you step by step makes this process go by smoothly. I would like to thank my thesis committee chair, Jennifer Floto, for providing insights and encouragement throughout this process. I would also like to thank to Burghardt Tenderich for being a member of my committee and a mentor throughout my Annenberg career. It was through his course that my interest for this topic was sparked. Finally, I would like to thank Matthew Le Veque for being a member of my committee and offering great feedback that has shaped my work. iv Table of Contents Dedication ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract v Preface vi Introduction 1 Chapter 1: Social Media and The Diabetes Industry 3 Chapter 2: HIPAA’s Privacy Rule Gag Order on Social Media? 6 Chapter 3: The FDA’s Role in Social Media 7 Chapter 4: The Major Players in the Insulin Pump Game 9 Animas Corporation 9 Roche Health Solutions 11 Medtronic 17 Insulet Corporation 29 Tandem Diabetes Care 38 Chapter 5: Patients Speaking Out 50 Chapter 6: Conclusion 55 Appendix 57 Bibliography 62 v Abstract This paper examines the impact social media has had on the diabetes medical device industry. More specifically, it analyzes the current uses of social media tools and addresses areas of growth for medical device companies and their social media activities. The purpose of this study is to not only gauge their usage of social media, but to look at the value of their content and interaction with consumers. The key issues discussed in this paper are privacy laws, FDA restrictions, and consumers’ needs for more personable interaction with their medical device providers. Results reveal that most consumers use social media to express their opinions on their devices, however the medical device companies are not able to fully engage in these types of conversations online. At the same time, consumers interact and engage more with medical device companies’ social media accounts if unique content is posted frequently. The principal conclusion is that it is important to engage with consumers and to monitor their social media posts regarding products. In order for changes to be made to devices, the responsibility is left to the consumers of the product to share their experiences in every way possible with medical device companies. Only then will diabetics see a change in the products they use on a day-to-day basis. vi Preface Research Methodology In terms of research methodology, qualitative research consisted of content analysis of social media accounts, interactions between companies and consumers on social media, and blog posts written by prominent diabetes advocates. Secondary research included blogs, government websites, and news articles. 1 Introduction When I was four-years-old, I fainted in the middle of one of my soccer games. My Mom rushed me to the hospital and from that day on, the carefree life I had known was gone: I was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. Suddenly my food was being monitored, people kept pricking my fingers and arms, and my mother could not stop crying. She was emotional because not only did she know that my life would be completely different, but she also had read that most juvenile diabetics did not live past the age of 21. That is a difficult fate to cope with and my mother refused for that to happen to me. As a result, she would research and stay current with the new advances in diabetes medicine and technology. At the age of 10, my doctor and mother thought it would be best for my health for me to start doing insulin pump therapy. I had been having frequent seizures and poor glucose levels and everyone believed this would help regulate my diabetes and enable me to have a “free” life. Initially, I was reluctant to the idea of an insulin pump. The thought of having a device attached to my body around the clock was unappealing. It was not even the fact that kids would make fun of me for always having this pager looking device on me; I was terrified of the needle that I would have to insert into my body every three days. Compared to the syringes I had grown accustomed to, this needle that inserted the infusion set on to my stomach seemed enormous. I put up quite a fuss with my mother, but after a lesson with a pump educator, I realized it was a simple process. As a result of the insulin pump, I will admit that I have done things that I never thought I would be able to do. I left home for college at 18, studied abroad in Florence, Italy, at 20 and am now living 2 on my own in Los Angeles. Growing up, I accepted the fact that I would not be able to have a typical college experience and that I would probably have to live with or near my parents for the rest of my life. However, with the advances in diabetes technology, the support of my medical team, and the encouragement and faith of my parents, I have been able to achieve my dreams, goals and more. As grateful as I am for the life I am able to live due to the freedom my pump gives me, I do acknowledge its faults and do wish that the companies that create these devices would acknowledge patient feedback some more. Medical device companies consistently disregard direct feedback from patients and instead produce what they believe is necessary within the devices. It is rare for patients to be included in the conversation when device companies are creating a new product. Ask patients if they are completely satisfied with their insulin pumps and I guarantee the majority of them will have at least one complaint. These products are supposed to make a diabetic’s life easier and they do, in some ways. On the other hand, these devices can cause undue stress. It is an extra device that needs to be with you at all times, there are supplies (i.e. insulin reservoirs, infusion sets, antiseptic wipes, and batteries) that must be with you in case there is an issue while you’re away from home, and despite all this your A1C and glucose readings may not improve at all. If insulin pump companies had discussions with their patients and learned what would be beneficial in the device on a daily basis, then there would be more potential for patients to see better results. 3 Chapter 1: Social Media and The Diabetes Industry With the evolution of social media, diabetes patients have been given an outlet to discuss their experiences with insulin pump products. Through Facebook groups, Twitter and blogs, patients are able to connect with each other. A community of diabetic patients has been formed on the Internet and even though they may never meet in person, they are able to offer advice and support to each other. The diabetic community is extremely vocal on what they believe they need from medical providers, insurance companies and medical device companies. Social media has made it possible for diabetics to band together and start demanding changes in their care. As Brian Solis, author of Engage: Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Way, wrote, “Social media sparked a revelation that we, the people, have a voice, and through the democratization of content and ideas we can once again unite around common passions, inspire movements, and ignite change.” 1 As a result of social media, patients have been able to connect, share their stories and express their concerns about their health. Meeting other diabetics is no longer a tedious, awkward task of driving to meetings and playing icebreakers that diabetes educators think are beneficial to getting to know everyone in the group. With social media, diabetics have the option to easily connect and discuss any topic, all from the comfort of their own homes. There 1 Solis, Brian. Engage!: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2010. Print. 4 are no inhibitions in discussions because social media is faceless and anonymous. Another great aspect of social media is that it can connect diabetics all over the world. There are no boundaries and people can learn about experiences that are very different from their own. The care that a diabetic patient receives in Southern California is drastically different than another patient is receiving in Stockholm, Sweden. Treatments, medications, and devices are different all over the world and through Facebook groups, like Students with Diabetes or Diabetes Self Management, people can share their positive or negative experiences with a company or a medication. Diabetics can make informed decisions with their healthcare by going online and reading what other patients believe is helpful or hurtful for diabetes care. Another group that encourages discussion amongst diabetics is “The Diabetes Social Media Advocacy.” This group offers weekly, moderated Twitter chats for patients to discuss various diabetes topics amongst themselves. Its mission is, “Simple questions, thought-provoking responses— strengthening the diabetes community one Tweet at a time.” 2 The Twitter chats allow diabetics to openly give their opinions, which can be difficult to do with a doctor or a diabetes educator. In those situations, freely expressing frustrations with the care and devices may not always be welcome. With the anonymity of a Twitter handle, people can answer questions honestly without feeling judgment or intimidation. 2 "Diabetes Social Media Advocacy." Diabetes Social Media Advocacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. <http://diabetessocmed.com/about/>. 5 A major component of diabetes advocacy online is conducted through blogs. There is a plethora of diabetes related blogs that not only focus on day-to-day care, but also current issues with technology. Diabetic bloggers use their blogs as an outlet to air out their frustrations with insulin pump therapy, glucose monitoring, and other diabetes-related issues that come up in their lives. Many bloggers are demanding that medical device companies make a change in the technology in a way that will make life easier for patients. Living with the disease is difficult enough and patients do not want to be concerned with inaccurate readings from glucose monitors or malfunctioning insulin pumps. Through blogs, diabetics realize that they are not the only ones facing these issues. They are able to discuss, relate and feel part of a community of people that are also enduring the stresses of the disease. To examine the extent of social media’s effects on the diabetes medical device industry, the author will analyze five insulin pump companies’ Facebook and Twitter accounts. The author notes whether these companies had the accounts and how often they engaged with their customers on these accounts. It is through the author’s own experiences as a diabetic and an avid social media user that has led her to question whether or not social media is impacting the medical device field. The author is curious to see if companies are utilizing social media to engage with customers and learn about their experiences, if they shy away from these resources due to government or company restrictions or if they simply do not have the resources to facilitate social media accounts. Finally, the 6 author will do an in depth analysis of how diabetics are using social media to demand changes in their diabetes healthcare. Chapter 2: HIPAA’s Privacy Rule Gag Order on Social Media? On August 21,1996, President Bill Clinton and Congress enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It was created in order to, “Improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets, to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery, to promote the use of medical savings accounts, to improve access to long-term care services and coverage, to simplify the administration of health insurance, and for other purposes.” 3 The standards set by HIPAA have regulated electronic health care records and identified which medical providers are allowed to have direct access to these records. On April 14, 2003, the Privacy Rule was enacted as part of HIPAA. The Privacy Rule: “Establishes national standards to protect individuals’ medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically. The Rule requires appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy of personal health information, and sets limits and conditions on the uses and disclosures that may be made of such information without patient authorization. The Rule also gives patients rights over their health information, including rights to examine and obtain a copy of their health records, and to request corrections.” 4 3 United States of America. Department of Health & Human Services. Statute. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. <http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/statute/index.html>. 4 United States of America. Department of Health & Human Services. Privacy Rule. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/privacyrule/index.html 7 This means that access to patients’ records became off limits to certain organizations. As Timothy Beebe wrote, “The HIPAA Privacy Rule holds particular importance for covered entities engaged in research because they often use patient information for their investigation.” 5 A covered entity is defined as, “Health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers who electronically transmit any health information in connection with transactions for which [Health and Human Services] has adopted standards.” 6 From these definitions, a patient can disclose her/his medical information to a medical device company without the company breaching any policy. However, on a Facebook page, where anybody is able to see the information the patient disclosed, the Privacy Rule becomes gray. The company itself may not be breaking the “Rule,” however, the information can be accessed by one of the covered entities and then a breach occurs. For this transaction to be seen as legal, a consent form for information to be shared must be signed by the patient, but that is difficult to monitor and execute when social media is involved since it has a nature of anonymity and quickness. Chapter 3: The FDA’s Role in Social Media Just like the manufacturers of the insulin that is used in the insulin pump, the device companies are regulated by the FDA, as well. For example in 2010, the 5 Beebe, Timothy. The HIPAA Authorization Form and Effects on Survey Response Rates, Nonresponse Bias, and Data Quality. Pg 959. n.p., n.d. Print. 6 United States of America. National Institutes of Health. HIPAA Privacy Rule and Its Impacts on Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://privacyruleandresearch.nih.gov/pr_06.asp>. 8 FDA started an initiative to reduce infusion pump risks in patients. Problems had been reported such as software defects, user interface issues, and mechanical or electrical failures. 7 When this device is a person’s livelihood, it needs to be made certain that it will not fail. A failed device can mean complications or death for a diabetic, so the FDA was ensuring patient safety through this initiative. Through “off-label” use and the FDA Adverse Event Reporting (FAERs), the FDA also limits the discussion between medical device companies and its patients. Due to “off-label” regulations, in order for medical device companies to ask feedback about their products, it needs to be in the confines of a study. A company cannot post on a social media account asking its patients what their experiences have been with the new insulin pump. The FDA has specific regulations that medical device companies need to follow when conducting studies about its products: “(i) it is not intended to be reported to FDA in support of a new indication for use or to support any other significant change in the labeling for the drug; (ii) it is not intended to support a significant change in the advertising for the product; (iii) it does not involve a route of administration or dosage level, use in a subject population, or other factor that significantly increases the risks (or decreases the acceptability of the risks) associated with the use of the drug product; (iv) it is conducted in compliance with the requirements for IRB review and informed consent (v) it is conducted in compliance with the requirements concerning the promotion and sale of drugs.” 8 7 United States of America. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. News & Events. N.p., 23 Apr. 2010. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm209042. htm>. 8 United States of America. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Off-Label" and Investigational Use Of Marketed Drugs, Biologics, and Medical Devices. N.p., n.d. 9 These restrictions limit what can be said both by a medical device company and a patient on social media. This means that patients can comment on the company or customer service, but not about the device itself. Similarly, any interaction regarding problems or errors with an insulin pump between the company and a patient needs to be reported to the FDA. Patients and healthcare professionals are able to report problems directly to the FDA themselves. If patients are posting their grievances about their insulin pump on the medical device company’s social media account, then that is an undocumented error in the eyes of the FDA. These issues and errors need to be reported to the FDA so that the medical device company producing the product can be held accountable to correct these issues by a government regulating administration. As stated before, it is these regulations by the FDA that have kept medical device companies constantly working to perfect its products. Chapter 4: The Major Players in the Insulin Pump Game There are currently five major insulin pump manufacturers that create devices for Type I diabetics to use: Animas Corporation, Roche Health Solutions, Medtronic, Insulet Corporation, and Tandem Diabetes Care. The author will offer brief histories of the manufacturers and analyze their social media habits. Animas Corporation Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.fda.gov/regulatoryinformation/guidances/ucm126486.htm>. 10 Animas Corporation is a member of the Johnson & Johnson companies. It writes to the patient on its website that many of those involved in the company have diabetes themselves or close to someone who does. Animas Corporation attempts to connect to patients through this tactic and make the company seem relatable to its consumers. The products Animas Corporation offers are the OneTouch Ping glucose management system, which connects a patient’s insulin pump to their blood glucose monitor. Throughout its site, it boasts a great support system and a team that will always care about the patient. In terms of social media, Animas Corporation does not maintain a corporate Facebook page. There is a page on Facebook for the Animas Insulin Pumps; however, that is not run by anyone affiliated with the company. The Twitter page is shown below (Exhibit A): Exhibit A -‐ https://twitter.com/animas 11 Its Twitter page has very few followers and is only following one person itself, Kerri Sparling, a diabetes blogger. They claim that the account will be coming soon. However, it seems as if Animas Corporation is behind the times since Twitter has been in use by companies since its creation in 2006. Roche Health Solutions Roche Health Solutions are the creators of the Accu-Chek Insulin Pump Therapy System. With this system, a patient’s insulin pump is connected to his or her glucose meter, so the pump can gauge what insulin levels the patient requires based on the blood sugar levels. Its Facebook page (which is under Accu-Chek, not Roche Health Solutions) is somewhat active. There are about two to three posts per week and the page has 3,625 likes. Accu-Chek has a Facebook page for each country that it has products in. This ensures that those in charge of monitoring the accounts can provide posts that are relevant to followers in different areas of the world. In Exhibit B, the Accu-Chek Facebook page is fairly simple and straightforward. There is not a section included on the main page regarding information on the brand and the “About Me” section is vague and does not give an extensive of neither the company nor the products. It is not clear who the people in the cover picture, but one would assume that they are employees of Accu-Chek since their photo is on display. 12 Exhibit B -‐ https://www.facebook.com/AccuChekUS Exhibit C -‐ https://www.facebook.com/AccuChekUS 13 Exhibit C is one example of its Facebook posts. The company attempts to actively engage its followers by asking casual questions, but then having a graphic with a more detailed explanation of the answers it is trying to invoke. There is a relatively low rate of engagement on these posts by followers. The possibility for this is that Accu-Chek has already answered the question, so followers do not have the opportunity to add their own reasons, especially if they stray too far from the provided answers. Exhibit D -‐ https://www.facebook.com/AccuChekUS 14 Exhibit D shows how Accu-Chek informs its followers of new technologies and advances that are happening in the diabetes world. It does an excellent job informing followers of the current happenings in diabetes technology. Exhibit E -‐ https://www.facebook.com/AccuChekUS In Exhibit E, Accu-Check is using its Facebook account to show a personal side of the company. By showing employees participating in #BlueFridays (Blue Fridays were created to bring awareness to World Diabetes Day, which is on 15 November 14 th ) the company is sharing its work environment and allowing followers to feel like a member of the team. Accu-Chek is attempting to seem more personable to followers to foster a better connection with the brand. Something to note about Accu-Chek’s Facebook page is that followers cannot leave direct comments or questions to the page itself. They can comment on posts that Accu-Chek puts up, but they are not able to create a conversation themselves. This is potentially a way of avoiding disclosure issues or preventing followers from posting negative reflections about the company. For as many followers as Accu-Chek has on Facebook, the level of engagement is significantly low. Accu-Chek’s Twitter page is extremely active and the account is an appropriate representation of the company. Exhibit F is a screenshot of its Twitter page. It has 7,559 followers and follows 5,820 people. For a medical device company, these are fairly high numbers. The account typically tweets about eight times throughout the day. Similar to its Facebook page, the “About Me” section on its Twitter account is non-descriptive and does not represent the company well. 16 Exhibit F -‐ https://twitter.com/accuchek_us Exhibit G -‐ https://twitter.com/accuchek_us 17 Exhibit G is an example of the Accu-Chek’s Twitter feed. The topics of the tweets vary from stories about diabetics, inspirational quotes, to diabetes healthcare. There are no retweets from followers or responses to questions or comments by followers. On July 28, 2013, the author tweeted the following message to Accu- Chek’s Twitter account: A month later, the author had not received any sort of response from the company. It is apparent that Accu-Chek’s communication strategy on social media is to control the conversation. By not responding to followers’ tweets or allowing them to create their own posts on the Facebook page, they are ensuring that there will not be posts, ideas, or stories that are detrimental to the brand. The author believes that may be the reason why the company has low engagement on both social media outlets. Medtronic Medtronic is an established brand in the medical device sector. It not only focuses on diabetes products, but also products for cardiac and vascular patients and patients in need of restorative therapy. However, its primary stake is in diabetic insulin pump therapy. Medtronic was started in 1949 and is “the world’s largest medical technology company.” 9 9 "Company Overview." Medical Technology –. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.medtronic.com/about-us/company-profile/medical-technology.htm>. 18 Exhibit H -‐ https://www.facebook.com/medtronicdiabetes Medtronic has a fairly active Facebook page and Exhibit H shows the page has 134,398 “Likes” and 1,994 people discussing the brand on Facebook. Its page encourages diabetics to share their stories and offers safety information and a thorough history of the company. The page appears to be extremely professional, inspirational, and helpful to its patients. 19 As Exhibit I shows below, Medtronic’s page interacts with its patients not only regarding diabetes care, but also for inspiration. Living with diabetes can be stressful and difficult; sometimes people need to read an uplifting quote or hear positive feedback. By not only focusing on the physical aspect of the disease or products, but including posts for the mental state of the person living with diabetes as well, Medtronic is addressing every aspect of the disease that a person faces. Exhibit I -‐ https://www.facebook.com/medtronicdiabetes Exhibit J is a screenshot from the Facebook page and is an example of the type of questions Medtronic asks its followers. It pays particular attention to 20 parents of children with diabetes. Medtronic creates conversations between its followers by asking their opinions and/or suggestions for daily life situations diabetics face. By looking at the amount of people that actively participated in this post, it is clear that this is the kind of content most important to Medtronic’s followers. Exhibit J -‐ https://www.facebook.com/medtronicdiabetes Below, Exhibit K is an example of Medtronic’s use of its Facebook page to convey “Important Safety Information.” Again, the intended audience of the post is parents of children with diabetes. The author believes that the reasoning behind these posts focused on parents is due to the timing on the selected post: back to school. With school starting, many parents may be feeling anxiety and/or stress over their child’s health and safety. When a child is diabetic, it can be stressful for a parent to not have direct access to them since a child may not be able to elaborate their hypo/hyperglycemic systems to a teacher or school nurse. By having these conversations with parents, Medtronic is attempting to ease parents back into school season and also preparing them by offering advice and 21 tips. Exhibit K -‐ https://www.facebook.com/medtronicdiabetes On the following page, Exhibit L shows Medtronic’s direct interaction with its followers. The Facebook page posed a simple question and received multiple responses, likes, and shares by followers. 10 A particular follower commented on the post and expressed her current diabetes dilemma. It seems to be a personal comment, but clearly one the follower was willing to share with Medtronic and its followers. Instead of ignoring the comment or leaving the conversation to other followers, Medtronic directly responded back to the follower and offered her encouragement during her rough week. Being personal with followers promotes more engagement and forms a bond between the brand and the consumer. This 10 Note: Author only portrayed one interaction between Medtronic and a follower. This does not represent the entire post. 22 is a strategic move because in order to foster positive relationships with the consumer, the brand must seem approachable and responsive to all situations presented by followers. Exhibit L -‐ https://www.facebook.com/medtronicdiabetes Medtronic does an outstanding job of communicating with its patients on Facebook. It has created its own diabetic community online where it can control the conversation on its page, but also directly respond to its followers’ problems and concerns. That is beneficial to the company because it makes it more personable and encourages patient loyalty to the brand. 23 Similarly, Medtronic has an extremely active Twitter page. Below, Exhibit M gives the essence of its Twitter presence. Exhibit M -‐ https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes The author found it odd that Medtronic’s history is cut out of the main page. That may be a stylistic choice, but as of right now, having that information on the page at all seems irrelevant since it is not possible to fully read it. The account has a large following with 10,314 followers. However, the account only follows 90 people, which are mainly prominent diabetes bloggers, doctors, and diabetes groups. The account averages between nine to eleven tweets per day. 24 Below, Exhibit N is a screenshot from its page. It is an example of how Medtronic affectively uses its page to interact with its followers and creating a conversation by asking simple questions. Exhibit N -‐ https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes Medtronic receives dozens of responses, which it does not retweet answers from. However, they personally respond to many followers saying, “Sounds good!” or “Thanks for sharing.” That personal response is very important when interacting with people on social media. Similar to Facebook, responding personally to followers will ensure that both them and other followers will respond to tweets the company posts. Exhibit O -‐ https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes Exhibit O is an example of a direct response to a patient who is having problems securing her son’s insulin pump during physical activity. She tweets her question 25 to Medtronic and on that same day, it replies and offers a more efficient way for her to get in contact and trouble shoot the problem. This is a positive trait to see in a medical device company. Patients should not feel confused or frustrated with their medical device and it is the company’s job to ensure that their questions are answered. Exhibit P -‐ https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes In Exhibit P, Medtronic tweets a testimony from one of its patients. The author finds this particular tweet interesting because wearing the device constantly is a primary concern for most diabetics before they begin insulin pump therapy. Medtronic is being preemptive by tweeting this story. However, how many non-pump wearing diabetics follow Medtronic? It makes sense if they have a large following of diabetics who have not started pump therapy. It does not seem like that is the case, though. On the other hand, Medtronic posts useful tips and anecdotes for its followers regarding achieving the best glucose results from insulin pump therapy. Below, Exhibit Q portrays an interaction between Medtronic and a follower who tweets about a conversation between his nurse and himself. The conversation shows that this follower’s nurse has not given him the best advice regarding insulin pump therapy. Medtronic quickly responds advising the follower 26 that this information is not accurate and can lead to complications if this follower tries this action with his insulin pump. Exhibit Q -‐ https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes Diabetics can have life threatening reactions from using an insulin pump incorrectly. Just like it posts on its Facebook page, Medtronic also posts safety related topics on its Twitter account. However, on Twitter the safety related posts are directly aligned with conversations started by Medtronic’s followers. This is beneficial to that specific follower, but does not necessarily reach a wide audience. Other followers might pass over the tweet since it is directed to a specific person. This tweet in particular is an example of a medical device company offering health advice to a patient. It is also an example of a medical device company taking preventative measures to ensure that there are not issues with this specific patient and his insulin pump. Medtronic reacts very quickly to this follower’s tweet because it can affect business if an issue arises from this nurse’s advice. If this follower starts experiencing low glucose levels after filling his reservoir because he is not detaching from the infusion site and then has a 27 hypoglycemic reaction, this would cause this follower to have a negative opinion of Medtronic’s insulin pump and that the pump is the reason for his reaction. With social media becoming a major opinion influencer, this follower’s negative experience with the Medtronic pump can be shared with thousands of people, which will impact Medtronic’s business. To avoid that, Medtronic quickly reacting gives the impression that its customers’ health and wellbeing are its priority. It will intervene when mistakes are being made with the insulin pump, as long as it is made aware of the situation. In Exhibit R, the author tweets at the Medtronic account about her personal experience with Medtronic’s Paradigm insulin pump. The author’s tweet is sent at 3:30 PM on September 6, 2013. Medtronic responds to her tweet by 8 AM the following day. It is a short response, but still is an example of Medtronic’s commitment to interacting with its followers on all levels. Unlike other companies mentioned before, Medtronic takes a different approach with its social media plan by allowing followers to take an active role in the conversation. Exhibit R -‐ https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes 28 Despite having an interactive social media plan that thrives on followers’ engagement, the author had an opposite experience trying to set up time for an interview with a member of Medtronic’s team and in other personal encounters with various members of the company’s staff throughout the years. When going through the process of upgrading her insulin pump this past year, she had a Medtronic diabetes specialist that she spoke with at least once a week. The specialist would call often to find out how the author was doing with her blood sugar logging, which was needed by insurance to accept the need for an upgrade. The process took about three months and this Medtronic team member was extremely diligent in getting all of the author’s information in order to facilitate the insulin pump upgrade. Once the author received her new insulin pump, the Medtronic diabetes specialist called two more times to check in and make sure the device was working properly. Two weeks after her last phone call with her diabetes specialist, the author emailed the specialist asking for an interview with her or another member of Medtronic’s team, preferably an employee of the public relations or social media team. The email was sent beginning of July and two months later, the author still has not heard back from her diabetes specialist. This encounter, or lack thereof, was interesting for the author since during her process of getting a new pump, she felt smothered by her diabetes specialist’s constant calls and emails. However, when the conversation shifted from attempting to sell a new device to the author to assisting with an academic 29 paper, the specialist completely disappeared. The author can think of two reasons why this could have happened: 1) The diabetes specialist did not have the authority to have this conversation with the author and felt it was not her place to refer the author to another Medtronic employee. 2) Medtronic does not allow their employees to have these frank conversations about the state of their company with any outsider. Despite the reason for not participating or assisting in an interview, it is poor customer service to blatantly ignore the request of a customer that has been using the company’s products for thirteen years. Medtronic has always claimed to the author that the staff will be there for her for any reason, including health related issues or if she even wanted a job after her college graduation. Yet, when asking for an educational interview, the request was completely ignored. Medtronic does a thorough job of managing its social media by being engaging, creating conversations, and taking part in conversations started by its followers. The author finds Medtronic’s social media accounts informative and the personal touches added by both Medtronic and its followers are endearing. It makes diabetics truly feel a sense of community and connected to the company that provides them with a life saving device. However, it is disconcerting that Medtronic staff members will make claims of “always being there [for the patient]” as my diabetes specialist claimed, and then ignore specific questions and/or requests made by a customer. Insulet Corporation 30 Insulet Corporation was formed in 2000 by the father of a young boy with diabetes to create an insulin pump that would integrate into the life of an active child. As noted on its site: “Together we got input from people on insulin pumps, people taking insulin injections and healthcare providers across the country. And we created the OmniPod System, a completely unique approach offering all the benefits of insulin pump therapy, with none of the issues.” 11 The OmniPod System is designed for young children who still do not know how to take care of themselves and who want to lead a fun and active lifestyle. Always worrying about tubing getting caught or what to do with your insulin pump during sports games can be frustrating for both the parent and child. Insulet’s claim is that it has solved that issue and are working to find even more solutions for pump therapy. The company is still growing. It lacks the resources that companies like Medtronic and Accu-Chek have. As a result, its social media is minimal. Below, Exhibit S is Insulet Corporation’s Facebook cover page. It is completely bare, only has fifty-seven followers, and does not even explain what the company is, what it does, and what products it makes. Even the profile picture for the account is an inaccurate version of the company’s logo. It seems apparent that Insulet Corporation does not have the time or money to spend on social media outreach or the founders do not see the immediate benefit of engaging with its customers 11 "About Insulet." Corporation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.myomnipod.com/about-insulet/>. 31 online. Exhibit S -‐ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Insulet-‐Corporation/194608683898002 Insulet Corporation has one post on its Facebook page. Exhibit S is a screenshot of the lone post: The account was created over two years ago and nothing has been done to it since. Given how important social media has become to brands, Insulet Corporation’s lack of interest in the tools seems misguided. Since it is a small company, it would make sense for it to be active on Facebook and garner business through social media. Insulet Corporation does not have the large advertising budgets that other medical device companies have. A grass root social media campaign would be the biggest asset for the company to grow. 32 In response to the lack of social media presence by Insulet Corporation, OmniPod System users have created their own Facebook communities. Exhibit T -‐ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Omnipod-‐Insulin-‐Management-‐ System/159074534130962 Exhibit T is the OmniPod System community on Facebook. It is quite plain due to the fact that this is a page run by an OmniPod user, not the company itself. The look and feel of the page is not a concern to this user, like it would be to the company. The page is mainly used as a forum for followers to discuss their experiences with OmniPod and ask questions. The issues with this page not being run by Insulet Corporation is that the company cannot have any input on what is being said on this page and the company seems aloof because they do not respond to customer inquiries. Many Facebook users probably do not understand that this page is not affiliated with the company since there is no direct statement. Below are examples of followers’ posts on this community wall: 33 Exhibit U -‐ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Omnipod-‐Insulin-‐Management-‐ System/159074534130962 In Exhibit U, a follower asks about how she can order an OmniPod System internationally. This is a basic question that can easily be answered by a customer service representative. However, since the account is not operated by Insulet Corporation, the question is ignored. This does not foster a positive relationship between the brand and its potential customers. By not responding to this question, there is a strong possibility that Insulet Corporation lost business. It would be in the company’s best interest to create a Facebook account in order to track and respond to potential customer’s inquiries. By doing so, they will expand business and grow as a company. Below in Exhibit V, a follower posted about his frustration with Insulet Corporation’s customer service. Given the nature and importance of the device to peoples’ day-to-day lives, it is critical that insulin pump companies have efficient and helpful customer service. However, the significance of this post is the fact that it is on an account associated with the company. Unlike the previous companies looked at, Insulet Corporation has no control over the direction of 34 conversation about its products or the company. If this was on a page run by the company, then it could respond to this post, apologize and trouble shoot a solution with this follower. Instead, the negative review of Insulet Corporation is left for any one to see. If there is a person considering trying an OmniPod and they look at the commentary on this community page, it is likely they will not consider OmniPod. Exhibit V -‐ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Omnipod-‐Insulin-‐Management-‐ System/159074534130962 Insulet Corporation does not have a Twitter account, but there is one entitled OmniPod Community. It is unclear whether this account is operated by members of Insulet Corporation or an OmniPod user. Below, Exhibit W shows that the account has 897 followers and is following 612 users. The account has a low tweet count of only 470 tweets total. Just from looking at these low numbers, it is clear that this account does not engage with the online community often. There is very little branding on the Twitter account and the “About Me” portion of 35 the account does not directly state whether this is affiliated with the company. Exhibit W -‐ https://twitter.com/OmniPodNA What is really interesting about this Twitter account is that it went from being mildly active to completely stopping in January 2012. Exhibit X is an example of its Twitter timeline. The account went from posting relevant articles, blog posts, and information once or twice per month to completely stopping all tweets, including retweets. 36 Exhibit X -‐ https://twitter.com/OmniPodNA The account becoming inactive is perplexing and leads one to believe that this account was, in fact, not run by a member of the Insulet Corporation. It does not make sense for a brand that is becoming established to put an end to its social media accounts. Another possible explanation is that Insulet does not consider social media a priority. Whatever the reason, one can deduce that the slow 37 growth of OmniPod in the medical device world is due to the lack of interaction with its users on Facebook and Twitter. As a result of Insulet Corporation’s lackluster social media accounts, the author believes that the current lack of conversation online would negatively impact the growth of the company. Many people look at reviews of products before they purchase, especially when it comes to medical devices since that is a significant investment of money and time. Input from doctors and insurance companies are important, but also seeing first hand experiences is a deciding factor. By having negative posts on pages associated with the company and not having any reaction, Insulet Corporation is demonstrating a lack of attention and care for the customer’s well being. Tandem Diabetes Care Tandem Diabetes Care emphasizes working with diabetics to create the most user-friendly insulin pump on the market. The company motto is to work “in tandem” with the patient and that is “embodied in every part of [its] business.” 12 Tandem stresses quality and innovation in its company and products. It also puts an emphasis on working directly with diabetics and ensuring that they receive the best insulin pump and service from Tandem. Below in Exhibit Y, are Tandem’s company values, which is not seen on any other insulin pump company’s website. It is important to note their values in order to analyze if their social media presence correlates. In general, the values listed below have a common theme of 12 "Tandem Diabetes Care." About Corporate Culture and Products for Diabetes. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.tandemdiabetes.com/About-Us/>. 38 reassuring patients that every decision the company makes has the best interest of the patient in mind. Exhibit Y -‐ http://www.tandemdiabetes.com/About-‐Us/Values/ Tandem Diabetes Care has an active social media strategy. The company posts between one to five posts per day. Posts range from educational to motivational to lifestyle tips. Below, Exhibit Z shows the cover of Tandem Diabetes Care’s page. The Facebook page currently has 2,171 likes and gives a thorough description of the company in its “About Me” section. Unlike the other companies, Tandem has a picture of its insulin pump on the main cover page. It is a fairly new product, so the company is promoting it heavily to the diabetic community. The author finds this to be beneficial to the company because they are achieving sales goals by heavily featuring its products on its social media 39 page. Exhibit Z -‐ https://www.facebook.com/TandemDiabetes?rf=157614094268896 Exhibit AA (below) is another example of Tandem’s use of its Facebook page to advertise its new products to followers. This tactic is an efficient use of Tandem’s page because not only is it engaging with customers, but by promoting new items on the page it is ensuring that followers will see these posts and they will be more likely to purchase these items in the future. 40 Exhibit AA -‐ https://www.facebook.com/TandemDiabetes?rf=157614094268896 Along with marketing efforts, Tandem Diabetes Care also utilizes its Facebook page to post informational articles for its followers. Exhibit BB is an example of an article posted by the company’s account. The author finds that Tandem’s account posts the most helpful articles for its followers compared to the other insulin pump companies. Tandem shares articles that focus on real life issues most diabetics commonly experience in their daily lives. This is beneficial for followers to have these articles at their disposal, shows them that Tandem does understand the issues diabetics face, and that it will try to offer them solutions. This also shows followers that Tandem is not only concerned with selling its products, but also with the lifestyle and health of its followers. 41 Exhibit BB -‐ https://www.facebook.com/TandemDiabetes?rf=157614094268896 42 Also, Tandem tends to post about how to use its products so its customers may have the best results. Exhibit CC -‐ https://www.facebook.com/TandemDiabetes?rf=157614094268896 In Exhibit CC, Tandem is posting about its application that downloads data from a diabetic’s t:Slim insulin pump and their blood glucose meter. The data can be easily viewed by both the diabetic and their healthcare team. Many people often have problems using these logging programs because they are not sure if their blood glucose meters can sync to the software. 43 In a study conducted by DiabetesMine, it was found that majority of those surveyed stated that they rarely use logging software due to how difficult the tools are. Exhibit DD -‐ http://www.diabetesmine.com By explaining what devices can be used with the logging program and how to use it, Tandem is attempting to correct the misconceptions that most diabetics have about logging software that most diabetics have. In Exhibit EE, Tandem posted a simple image, but the message behind it contributes to the sense of community that it wants to build between the company and its patients. This post is not informative or even motivational, but it unites its followers by showing how many people are living with this disease and 44 all those who are affected by it. Tandem is displaying a softer side of the company by starting a conversation with those who are providing care for someone with diabetes and/or watching someone they love live with this disease firsthand. Being diabetic does not only affect the person who is living with it, but also those who are closest to that person. It is a lifestyle change for everyone involved and that can be just as hard. Showing that Tandem is not only concerned with its products and even its direct customers, but also those who are affected in a different way by the disease opens Tandem up to a wider audience. An important aspect of its Facebook page to note is that it lacks individual posts from followers on the company page. This means that followers are not able to discuss problems they are having with their insulin pump, ask direct questions, or post product reviews to the page. 45 Exhibit EE -‐ https://www.facebook.com/TandemDiabetes?rf=157614094268896 Similar to its Facebook account, Tandem Diabetes Care has an extremely active Twitter account. It averages between nine to eleven posts per day and the content of each post varies. The posts are rarely repetitive and are extremely engaging. Exhibit FF is its account page and the lay out is similar to Facebook in the sense that there is both the company branding and images of its newest product as the focus. Something that is different about its “About Me” section is that they provide the customer support phone number, which other companies do not do. The reason behind this could be that by posting the number, it will defer 46 people from posting issues they are having with their insulin pumps on Twitter and instead direct them to a private phone call. Through this tactic, Tandem avoids both appearing aloof to the customer by not responding Exhibit FF -‐ https://twitter.com/tandemdiabetes and having to reply to tweets about issues people may be experiencing. If there are too many tweets directing people to its support line, then it shows others that there are many problems people face using this particular insulin pump. Exhibit GG is an example of how Tandem interacts with its followers. The person who tweeted at the company is not a current user of t:Slim insulin pump, she just states that she eventually wants to switch since she is having issues with her current insulin pump company. Within twenty minutes of her tweet, Tandem responded and offered her its help whenever she wanted to begin the process of 47 switching devices. Keeping along with its strategy of keeping these discussions offline, it directed her to call the company when she was ready. Exhibit GG -‐ https://twitter.com/tandemdiabetes Exhibit HH shows how Tandem engages with its followers by posting interactive activities. Quizzes and questions are a simple, but useful way for a company to have more conversations with its followers and also learn about the type of people following the account. Exhibit HH -‐ https://twitter.com/tandemdiabetes The topics of Tandem’s quizzes and questions revolve around daily life lessons or tools that diabetics employ regularly. These types of posts affirm that Tandem understands what diabetics need to know in order to live healthy lives and be successful in managing their diabetes. Exhibit II is an inspirational post that the account tweeted. There is no direct reason for it, beside the fact that the company is wishing its followers a good day. The idea of strength and positive mindset are major themes in 48 diabetes care. Mental state is just as important as physical state for a diabetic and by tweeting this daily inspirational quote, Tandem is being proactive in addressing its customers’ mental health and making sure that it is doing its part in helping them stay positive. Exhibit II -‐ https://twitter.com/tandemdiabetes The author did tweet at Tandem Diabetes Care and received a response within two hours. Below, Exhibit JJ is the tweet sent to the company and its reply back. Tandem’s response was similar to its response to others because it offered a phone number to move the conversation from public domain to a relatively 49 private setting. Exhibit JJ -‐ https://twitter.com/tandemdiabetes After reviewing Tandem Diabetes Care’s social media accounts, the author believes that Tandem does a tremendous job posting information that is relevant and beneficial to diabetics. It is clear that Tandem’s Twitter account is more interactive with its followers than its Facebook page since there is less commentary and conversations directly started from the followers. Also, Tandem goes above and beyond responding and retweeting most of the conversations started by its followers. Medical device companies entering the social media stratosphere ineffectively can become detrimental to their success of these companies. Not using these tools will begin to negatively impact companies, like Insulet Corporation, that do not engage and follow what its customer base is saying about its products. However, it is not only the patients that these companies need to focus their efforts on. Michael Hammons wrote for MedCityNews.com that: “The advent of social media introduces an entirely new, technology-driven platform for medical device sales reps to interact with physicians. The “sample jockey” sales model might have had its day, but that day has 50 passed thanks to online communication modes such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and blogs.” 13 The old practice of connecting with physicians is being replaced by the informal platform provided by social media. When looking at the followers of each of these insulin pump companies, each have a significant amount of doctors that follow the Twitter accounts of these insulin pump companies. It is in the best interest of these companies to have professional interactions with the physicians that follow them and give the impression that the company will be helpful to the physicians’ patients. Chapter 5: Patients Speaking Out Many diabetics have banded together to form an online community where they are free to discuss living with diabetes. From using social media and blogs, diabetics are able to make connections and not feel as though they are battling this disease alone. The following two blogs are considered to be the top diabetes blog sites that provide relatable and informational posts for diabetics. DiabetesMine DiabetesMine was created in 2003 and is run by its founder Amy Tenderich. The blog has daily posts from Tenderich, staff writers, and contributing bloggers. The posts focus on current diabetes trends, issues, and news. 13 "3 Ways Technology Can Help Boost Medical Devices Sales." MedCity News 3 Ways Technology Can Help Boost Medical Devices Sales Comments. N.p., 13 June 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://medcitynews.com/2013/06/3-ways- technology-can-help-boost-medical-devices-sales/>. 51 On April 9, 2007, Tenderich wrote an open letter to Steve Jobs regarding insulin pump technology. In the letter, she writes how frustrating it is for a Digital Device Dependent (DDD) to be able to customize their IPod easily, yet they are not able to do the same with their insulin pump. Obviously, given the choice, a DDD would choose to be able to have a smaller and more customizable insulin pump. Below are images of the full text of Tenderich’s letter: 52 14 Jobs never responded to Tenderich, but Michael Arrington from Tech Crunch wrote about the letter. Four months later, Arrington wrote about Tenderich’s letter again and what had come from it: “When I wrote about Amy Tenderich’s call for someone to design a better Insulin pump, perhaps by taking inspiration from the iPod, I didn’t really think anyone would actually do it. But I was wrong. Almost immediately San Francisco based Adaptive Path met with Amy and decided to spend time trying to design a more attractive Insulin Pump. They’ve now 14 Tenderich, Amy. "An Open Letter to Steve Jobs." DiabetesMine the All Things Diabetes Blog. N.p., Apr. 2007. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.diabetesmine.com/2007/04/an_open_letter_.html>. 53 completed the initial design work and have been writing about it on their blog.” 15 The letter to Jobs also brought a new idea to Tenderich: The Patient Voices Innovation Summit. At this event, ten patients are chosen to share their new ideas and improvements to representatives from medical device companies. The Summit gives patients the power to make an affective change in their own lives and those of other diabetics. It is meant to empower patients and make their voices heard by the medical device companies that create the products that diabetics use every minute of their lives. In an interview with her, the author learned that Tenderich and her team work diligently to survey hundreds of diabetics in order to learn as much as they can about what is working well, what needs improvement, and what is hindering diabetics with their care. At the summit, the research is presented to medical device companies alongside the patients’ presentations. By being vocal about patient needs in the medical device world, DiabetesMine is calling for a change to occur with these devices. Six Until Me Six Until Me is written by Kerri Sparling and discusses her experience growing up with diabetes. She often writes critical reviews of insulin pump devices and calls on device companies to make changes that will improve the 15 Arrington, Michael. "IPod v. The Insulin Pump: Adaptive Path Rises To The Challenge." TechCrunch. N.p., 14 Aug. 2007. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://techcrunch.com/2007/08/14/ipod-v-the-insulin-pump-adaptive-path-rises- to-the-challenge/>. 54 living conditions of those on insulin pumps. The blog was started in 2005 and also features posts from contributing writers within the diabetes blogging community. The personal tone of Sparling’s blog offers diabetics an ally for the triumphs and struggles they face in their daily lives. The blog creates a support system not only for Sparling, but for her readers, as well. In a post written on June 27, 2013 entitled “Over It”, Sparling writes, “I’m frustrated by technology. Tired of the devices. Enough with the toting around all the nonsense. Enough with the lows. Enough with the highs, too. Eff preparedness. I just want to leave the house with my car keys, not the contents of my medicine cabinet.” 16 Her posts are always very honest and expressive. The struggles she writes about are common issues and feelings for most diabetics, which makes her blog so popular. Her writing style has a way of encapsulating the emotion perfectly. Similar to the blogs listed above, many individuals are taking it upon themselves to advocate patient rights. There are many instances in the news about people lobbying Congress to fund research for a cure for Type I Diabetes. Although it is important to fund research, it is equally important to focus on enacting changes from medical device and insurance companies. If this issue is discussed more in mainstream media, then there is a potential for these device companies to start making the changes patients need. 16 Sparling, Kerri. "Over It." Six Until Me Diabetes Blog. N.p., 27 June 2013. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://sixuntilme.com/wp/2013/06/27/over-it/>. 55 To bring more attention to the needs of patients, social media is the main platform. There are countless examples of trends and movements that have been started on social media and the author sees this as an opportunity for patients to speak out about the changes that they believe need to be made to these products that have become so critical in their lives. The task of discussing this issue should not only be left to diabetes bloggers because that is a small portion of the diabetes community. When the author searches news sites using key words “Insulin Pumps” there are not any results that appear that discuss the patients’ experiences with the devices. The major focus of articles is the technology and claims from the device companies. It is clear for business purposes why there are articles about new innovations and financial records, however it is surprising that the patient is far removed from news reporting. A way for that to change is through a social media movement or events, like DiabetesMine’s Patient Voices Summit. Chapter 6: Conclusion In conclusion, since the introduction and growth of social media, diabetics have numerous outlets at their disposal to discuss and review their insulin pumps and the companies that provide them. Medical companies are being forced to answer to their customers or face the financial consequences. It is becoming more and more important for medical device companies to engage with their customers in order to ensure that they are both satisfied with the device and using the device in the best way to ensure positive results. By looking at the five different insulin pump companies in this white paper, the author has concluded 56 that Tandem Diabetes Care and Medtronic lead the way in reaching out to their customers over social media. Both companies provide a variety of posts and insight to keep their followers informed. However, there were areas each company could improve upon and these companies will need to learn how to use social media to the best of their ability or hire those who can efficiently use the tools. In a world where social media is becoming the outlet for companies to connect with their consumers, it is important to find unique ways to engage and create brand loyalty. For now, the author believes that for these companies to make major changes both to their social media activity and with the devices themselves, diabetics will need to make their communal voice strident to the deaf ears of the medical device companies. 57 Appendix Exhibit A - Animas Twitter. Twitter, n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/animas>. Exhibit B - "Accu-Chek US - Indianapolis, Indiana - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/AccuChekUS>. Exhibit C - "Accu-Chek US - Indianapolis, Indiana - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/AccuChekUS>. Exhibit D – “Accu-Chek US - Indianapolis, Indiana - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/AccuChekUS>. Exhibit E - “Accu-Chek US - Indianapolis, Indiana - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/AccuChekUS>. Exhibit F - "Accu-Chek US - Indianapolis, Indiana - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/accuchek_us>. Exhibit G - "Accu-Chek US - Indianapolis, Indiana - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/accuchek_us>. Exhibit H - "Medtronic Diabetes - Northridge, CA - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/medtronicdiabetes>. 58 Exhibit I - "Medtronic Diabetes - Northridge, CA - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/medtronicdiabetes>. Exhibit J - "Medtronic Diabetes - Northridge, CA - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/medtronicdiabetes>. Exhibit K - Medtronic Diabetes - Northridge, CA - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/medtronicdiabetes>. Exhibit L - Medtronic Diabetes - Northridge, CA - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/medtronicdiabetes>. Exhibit M - "Medtronic Diabetes - Northridge, CA - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes>. Exhibit N - "Medtronic Diabetes - Northridge, CA - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes>. Exhibit O - "Medtronic Diabetes - Northridge, CA - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes>. 59 Exhibit P - "Medtronic Diabetes - Northridge, CA - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes>. Exhibit Q - "Medtronic Diabetes - Northridge, CA - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes>. Exhibit R - "Medtronic Diabetes - Northridge, CA - Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/MDT_Diabetes>. Exhibit S - "Insulet Corporation | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Insulet- Corporation/194608683898002>. Exhibit T - "Omnipod Insulin Management System | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Omnipod-Insulin- Management-System/159074534130962>. Exhibit U - "Omnipod Insulin Management System | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Omnipod-Insulin- Management-System/159074534130962>. Exhibit V - "Omnipod Insulin Management System | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Omnipod-Insulin- Management-System/159074534130962>. Exhibit W - "Omnipod Insulin Management System | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/OmniPodNA>. 60 Exhibit X - "Omnipod Insulin Management System | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/OmniPodNA>. Exhibit Y - "Tandem Diabetes Care." Values. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.tandemdiabetes.com/About-Us/Values/>. Exhibit Z - "Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/TandemDiabetes?rf=157614094268896>. Exhibit AA- "Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/TandemDiabetes?rf=157614094268896>. Exhibit BB - "Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/TandemDiabetes?rf=157614094268896>. Exhibit CC - "Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/TandemDiabetes?rf=157614094268896>. Exhibit DD - "DiabetesMine: The All Things Diabetes Blog." DiabetesMine the All Things Diabetes Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.diabetesmine.com/>. Exhibit EE - "Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <https://www.facebook.com/TandemDiabetes?rf=157614094268896>. Exhibit FF - "Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/tandemdiabetes>. Exhibit GG - "Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/tandemdiabetes>. Exhibit HH - "Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/tandemdiabetes>. 61 Exhibit II - "Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/tandemdiabetes>. Exhibit JJ - "Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. | Twitter." Twitter. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://twitter.com/tandemdiabetes>. 62 Bibliography "About Insulet." Corporation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.myomnipod.com/about-insulet/>. Arrington, Michael. "IPod v. The Insulin Pump: Adaptive Path Rises To The Challenge." TechCrunch. N.p., 14 Aug. 2007. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://techcrunch.com/2007/08/14/ipod-v-the-insulin-pump-adaptive-path- rises-to-the-challenge/>. Beebe, Timothy. The HIPAA Authorization Form and Effects on Survey Response Rates, Nonresponse Bias, and Data Quality. Pg 959. n.p., n.d. Print. "Company Overview." 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Abstract (if available)

Abstract This paper examines the impact social media has had on the diabetes medical device industry. More specifically, it analyzes the current uses of social media tools and addresses areas of growth for medical device companies and their social media activities. The purpose of this study is to not only gauge their usage of social media, but to look at the value of their content and interaction with consumers. The key issues discussed in this paper are privacy laws, FDA restrictions, and consumers’ needs for more personable interaction with their medical device providers. Results reveal that most consumers use social media to express their opinions on their devices, however the medical device companies are not able to fully engage in these types of conversations online. At the same time, consumers interact and engage more with medical device companies’ social media accounts if unique content is posted frequently. The principal conclusion is that it is important to engage with consumers and to monitor their social media posts regarding products. In order for changes to be made to devices, the responsibility is left to the consumers of the product to share their experiences in every way possible with medical device companies. Only then will diabetics see a change in the products they use on a day‐to‐day basis.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Rahim, Nadia (author)

Core Title The impact of social media on the diabetes industry

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Strategic Public Relations

Publication Date 04/30/2014

Defense Date 01/21/2014

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Diabetes,facebook,insulin pump,OAI-PMH Harvest,social media,Twitter

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Floto, Jennifer D. (committee chair), Le Veque, Matthew (committee member), Tenderich, Burghardt (committee member)

Creator Email nrahim@usc.edu,nrahim3@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-408527

Unique identifier UC11295468

Identifier etd-RahimNadia-2474.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-408527 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-RahimNadia-2474-0.pdf

Dmrecord 408527

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Rahim, Nadia

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA