Healthcare social media group unconference

A Twitter-based community of digital healthcare experts, established in August 2009, have met for the first time in person for an unconference in Berlin, Germany on March 31.

The group, Healthcare Social Media in Europe (HcSMeu), was established in August 2009 by social media innovators Silja Chouquet and Andrew Spong. The Twitter-based community is made up of more than 140 digital health experts who convene on the micro-blogging site every Friday at 12pm GMT using the hashtag #hcsmeu

The community aims to improve the quality, access, value and effectiveness of healthcare delivery to patients through the adoption of social media across the European healthcare sector.

R Halkes, a participant in #hcsmeu and healthcare consultant from the Netherlands said: "#hcsmeu is really growing and evolving into something great, something that is now capable of moving both people and things."

Ahead of today's unconference, co-founders Silja Chouquet and Andrew Spong talked about their 'dreams' for the live hcdmeucamp event in this pair of videos:




Today's first meeting of this pioneering group, referred to as #hcsmeucamp, followed an unconference format, consisting of a loosely structured introduction by a facilitator followed by open floor or small group discussion. More than half of the delegates will be participating via Twitter and the web.

The morning sessions looked at the HcSMeu missions and goals as well as how to raise the groups profile. Later in the day, discussions moved on to the patient perspective, the healthcare professional perspective and the pharma perspective.

User participation is key to the success of an event such as this with the audience being actively encouraged to participate throughout rather than listen passively and ask questions at the end.

Co-founder of #hcsmeu, Andrew Spong said: "As a community, we are exceptionally lucky to benefit from the contribution of so many digital healthcare professionals and communications experts from across the EU. #hcsmeucamp will feature representation from the UK to Greece, and from the Netherlands to Italy, with each participant bringing their particular local perspective to bear on a set of international healthcare issues."

Video footage from the unconference, along with Tweets made on the day and after the event, can be viewed on the dedicated hcsmeu ustream channel