Supporting Australian parents through social media

Healthdirect Australia is hosting an ongoing series of live forums on the Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Facebook page to engage parents in important healthcare conversations.

The one-hour live chat sessions are hosted by maternal and child health nurses and focus on a specific topic, such as sleep awareness or looking after a newborn.

Dianne Zalitis, clinical lead at Pregnancy, Birth and Baby, says the forums provide trustworthy and clinically safe information for parents in the place where they are looking for it.

“We know that for a lot of Australian parents, their social networks are often the first port of call for parenting information, support and advice. While social media can be a great resource, it can also be difficult for parents to judge what information can be trusted.”

“We developed our program of Facebook forums to connect parents with our maternal and child health nurses and each other to share reliable information, advice and build a social support community,” Dianne says.

The Facebook forums are promoted ahead of time on the Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Facebook Page and people are encouraged to submit questions in advance. At the scheduled time, the nurse goes online to respond to questions and engage in live conversations, using the Facebook comments system.

“Importantly, each of our forums is delivered by a team that includes clinical governance and social media experts who work together to ensure the forum's content is clinically safe and parents are getting the best advice possible,” Dianne says.

Developing supportive online communities

During the FY17–18 year, there were seven forums, including a joint forum with Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA).

“The forums have really increased the number of people who can access the expertise of the PBB maternal child health nurses. As an example, one nurse can potentially reach 6–7 people in one hour when giving advice via the telephone, however, during the forums we have seen audience figures of up to 4,000,” Dianne says.

Engagement continues to increase after the forum as people read the questions and answers and share them with their friends and families.

“These online events are helping us to develop supportive online communities. This has particular benefits for isolated and vulnerable families who may lack a family network or access to face-to-face health services close to where they live,” Dianne says.

The forums demonstrate the value of using different channels, such as social media, to meaningfully engage Australians in health services.

About Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby is funded by the Australian Government. The service is staffed by maternal and child health nurses who provide advice and support to parents of children up to five years of age via telephone, video capability, a website and a Facebook page.

To access the live forums, go to the Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Facebook page to see the next event.