By Daniel Ghinn 
2009 was a year in which healthcare engagement took some giant leaps forward. By the start of the year, platforms for digital engagement had matured to the point where it was possible to reach and engage with a wider community of health stakeholders than ever before.
It was also a year of much challenge in healthcare engagement. At the start of the year, the US FDA wrote to no less than ten pharmaceutical companies warning them about the way they were using paid search. Some responded by becoming very cautious about their digital engagement, whilst others took the opportunity to find credible ways of engaging online. The FDA’s public hearing on social media in November brought together some of the most passionate debate about social media in healthcare, and the regulator’s role.
Outside of the United States, whilst some in healthcare complained at the constraints placed on them by regulators, others brought together their legal, medical and engagement specialists to find new opportunities to engage in the ever-changing world of digital media.
Today we are excited to announce the winners of the Healthcare Engagement Strategy Awards 2010. The selection process has led us all around the world, from Australia to Asia, Europe to the USA. Our international judging panel, to whom I owe a huge debt of thanks for their intelligent and constructive analysis, has reviewed and discussed campaigns from all corners of the healthcare landscape. It’s been an incredible journey of discovery that has led us to select the winners for achievements in improving healthcare through engagement.
Not surprisingly, it is in digital media that we saw the majority of nominations and finalists. But it’s worth noting that the most effective engagement – digital or otherwise – was from those who took a fairly ‘old school’ approach of honesty and straight talking. Credibility, it seems, never goes out of fashion amongst patients.
When we designed the process for the Healthcare Engagement Strategy Awards, we wanted to create a new kind of award. One that would recognise outcomes in improved healthcare through engagement, and would leave behind a legacy of insights for others to learn from. Our hope is that by identifying and sharing these strategic insights, we can inspire others to build on them and achieve even better outcomes through healthcare engagement in 2010.
For each of the winners below, we have written a brief report on what makes them special that I hope will serve not only as a celebration of their achievements, but as a guide for others to learn from. For those who wish to learn more in-depth strategic insights from analysis of our finalists, and to apply them to their own roles in healthcare organizations, we’re running a series of special events in the USA and Europe. It’s not too late to book your place at our New York or London events.
Finally, it is an absolute privilege for me to name the winners of the Healthcare Engagement Strategy Awards 2010.
Best Hospital or Clinic
Winner: Mayo Clinic
Best Patient Community
Winner: TuDiabetes
Best Health Issue Awareness Campaign
Winner: Skcin’s Computer Tan Campaign
Best Integrated Engagement Strategy
Winner: Get Real. Get a Prescription
Best Engagement Through Video
Winner: Johnson & Johnson Health Channel on Youtube
Changing Healthcare Award
Winner: Patientslikeme
People in Healthcare Engagement
We have also named four people who brought significant change to healthcare engagement in 2009. Watch these if you want to learn how to make a real difference!
Winners: Lee Aase; Manny Hernandez; Marc Monseau; Andrew Widger
