301 - Enhancing Pediatric Disaster Preparedness: The Role of Social Media in Engaging Families and Hospitals

Publication Number: 301.4919

Nita Gupta, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States; Yae Sul (Hazel) Jeong, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States; Shari Snyder Pollack, UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Cleveland, OH, United States; Deanna Dahl-Grove, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, United States

Background: Social media can be a crucial source of information for families, particularly during disasters when seeking updates and after a disaster for future planning. In response, Region V for Kids, a Pediatric Disaster Center of Excellence funded by the U.S. Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, formed a Communications Workgroup to disseminate prompt disaster-related content via social media.

Objective: This study evaluated if Region V for Kids’ website user engagement with hospitals and families improved after leveraging social media for disaster content.

Design/Methods: This retrospective study, conducted from January to August 2024, analyzed user engagement metrics from the Region V for Kids website. Metrics included landing page views, active users, average engagement time, and bounce rates. These metrics were compared against benchmarks from significant events, such as forming a dedicated communications team, hiring a communications specialist, and posting educational resources during disasters.

Results: After establishing the Communications Workgroup and hiring a communications specialist, user engagement improved significantly. Average engagement time increased from 5 to 26 seconds, while bounce rates decreased from 49% to 15%. Although overall views and active user counts showed variability, there were notable increases following the Ohio Tornado Outbreaks in May 2024, demonstrating responsive engagement during critical events.

Targeted social media postings had a positive impact on website engagement metrics. Following a May 2024 post on disaster preparedness for individuals with disabilities, there was a 6-fold increase in page views and a 3.8-fold increase in active users for the Children and Youth Special Healthcare Needs toolkit page in May and June, compared to April. Similar trends were noted following a June post for family reunification with a 2.5-fold increase in reunification page views in June compared to May, a 2.4-fold increase in Pediatric Medical Operations Coordination Cell page views for September after an August post, and a 1.4-fold increase in Hazard Vulnerability Analysis page views in August after a July post. These highlight the effectiveness of focused content on social media in driving engagement and awareness for specialized webpages.

Conclusion(s): Social media has emerged as a vital tool for efficiently disseminating critical information, particularly during disasters. Region V for Kids successfully utilized these platforms to enhance engagement and promote pediatric disaster preparedness best practices among families and hospitals.