Hospitals and other healthcare professionals have long been active users of social media, and, in 2013, they’re more committed than ever.

One survey has found that 90 percent of hospitals in the Ohio area of the U.S. are using social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. And they’re investing in these channels, too. Almost half (49 percent) are devoting more staff and time to social media, and more than one-third (36 percent) are spending more money on these tools.

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Social media has rapidly integrated itself into almost every business across every industry in virtually every country around the world, but adoption has been slower in sectors where absolute transparency is important but also carries a significant amount of risk, particularly when it comes to the moderation of what can be damaging public opinion.

Slowly but surely, hospitals have started to become aware of the benefits of social media, and patients are increasingly using these tools to communicate with doctors and other healthcare professionals. While the U.S. leads the way, the use of these channels in and by hospitals in Western Europe has grown significantly over the last 2-3 years, and Twitter is especially popular in the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Norway.

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