Live Tweeting a Heart Transplant
Baylor Scott White Health in Dallas, Texas is a hospital with a strong specialty in transplant surgery. To bring attention to the need for organ donation, Digital Communications and Social Media Director Ashley Howland organized the a Twitter first; the Live tweeting of a live heart transplant. Garnering over a million social media impressions and 20,000 followers during the event was of secondary importance to the successful surgery, appreciation and support for the donor’s family and a new surge in organ donor signups. Hear the details in our interview or follow the time stamps below.
00:00 Intro
00:45 Why did you live Tweet a transplant?
02:30 Need for Organ donors
02:55 Short waitlist for heart transplants
03:30 No budget
04:00 Schedules Surgery live Tweeting: Kidney Transplat & Brain Surgery
05:36 Project management a key
05:50 Were Tweets Live or scheduled?
06:50 Need for disclaimers and explanation tweets
08:50 Interviewed potential patient was in need
10:50 Transplant is the last resort
12:00 Honoring the donor
12:50 SW Transplant Alliance & Donate Life Texas
14:30 Who was in the operating room?
15:30 Media coverage
15:52 Timing of event
18:38 Testing Twitter & Tweet Stats
20:35 Hashtags: #GoJane #ImADonor
21:20 Extending the reach
24:38 National coverage?
24:55 Any negative feedback?
25:45 Hearing a donor’s heart beat
28:37 Will you do it again?
29:25 Live Tweet for Education
31:32 Social Media Tip: Reed Smith “Learn a new skill”
Visit our resources page for more valuable (and free!) resources on social media and digital health.
Ahsley Howland on LinkedIn
Baylor Scot White Health on Twitter and Facebook
Video: “The First Ever Live Tweet of a Heart Transplant”
Hashtags from the event: #HeartTXLive #GoJane #ImADonor
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