Health service takes to social media to 'combat fake news' and 'reach the young'

REGIONAL health authorities for the Comunidad Valenciana along Spain's Mediterranean coast have launched profiles on Facebook and Instagram in a bid to advise and guide the public, especially teens and young adults.

Covering the population in the provinces of Castellón, Valencia and Alicante, the service first appeared on Twitter in 2011, under the username @GVAsanitat, and more recently, in 2020, on YouTube under the much longer name of ConselleriadeSanitatUniversaliSalutPública.

It has now doubled its online presence, and can be found on Instagram and Facebook by searching for GVA Sanitat.

Even those who do not live in the Comunidad Valenciana will find it very useful to 'follow' or 'like' the region's healthcare service on social media, since news about biomedical research, tutorials on CPR enabling ordinary civilians to save lives, and the latest bulletins about all things health-related are constantly posted.

The YouTube channel produced short snippets giving Covid updates, easy-to-follow first-aid videos, and a 'guided tour' of how to book GP appointments either online at www.san.gva.es or via the App, GVA+Salut, for those with reduced hearing, to enable them to speak to their family doctor on screen.

Additionally, GVA Sanitat is actively seeking to provide fact-checkers to clear up concerns and misinformation.

“Social media has enormous potential as a tool for information-sharing – in fact, for some age groups, these are the only source of news they consult to find out what's going on in the world, so we really need to explore and make use of these channels,” says regional government health councillor Ana Barceló.

She is conscious that up-to-date medical information and evidence-based facts and figures may not necessarily reach young people who do not read traditional news media, but that sites such as Facebook and Instagram are a huge part of their daily lives.

“Another of our aims with this is to diffuse correct information to counter misleading claims,” says Sra Barceló.

“We've been seeing it with the pandemic – fake news is becoming rife, and it's crucial we debunk the myths. 

“People need to be able to find out the truth from reliable, official sources, and being on Facebook and Instagram, we can meet this need for adults of all ages and teenagers, by widening our communication channels with the general public.”

In keeping with the health service's objectives in branching out on social media, GVA Sanitat has opted for a chatty, informal style, whilst ensuring thorough and evidence-based information is provided in as rich a detail as possible.

So far, @GVAsanitat has 85,600 followers on Twitter – a large chunk of whom appeared during the pandemic as the public sought to keep on top of how Covid-19 was affecting them locally.

In the last four weeks alone, the health authority has gained nearly 800 new followers.

Around 61,900 people a day view its posts, 86 retweet them and 173 'like' them, on average, says Sra Barceló.