Exploration of Content and Reach of Physical Therapy-Related Discussion on Twitter

Abstract

Background Many individuals access and share health information on social networking sites. Previous studies have analyzed the social media site Twitter to discern public opinion related to health phenomena such as antibiotics, concussions, and flu. Physical therapy-related online discussions have not been studied. Objective The aim of this study was to explore content, participants, and structure of physical therapy-related discussions on Twitter. Design This study was observational. Methods Over 12 weeks, more than 30,000 physical therapy-related tweets were collected. A random sample of 100 tweets underwent preliminary analysis to determine broad categories including tweet author, tone, and theme. A second random sample of 100 tweets was analyzed to confirm categories. Once categories were established, a new sample of 1000 tweets was randomly selected for analysis and categorization. All study investigators categorized a shared collection of tweets to establish inter- and intrarater agreement. Twitter conversations were visualized using NodeXL. Results Intrarater and interrater agreement for tweet categorization was 95% and 89%, respectively. The distribution of the intended audience was 35.5% professional, 35.5% broad reach, and 29% public. The gross distribution of tweet tone was 63.1% neutral, 31.4% positive, and 5.6% negative. Twenty-eight percent of tweets were authored by physical therapists/physical therapist assistants and nearly one-half were categorized as “marketing.” Tweets tended to be “isolated,” not within a conversation, or consist of conversation within “tight crowds.” Limitations This study was purely observational. Social media content can be highly influenced by temporal events, which limits the generalization of specific findings. Conclusions Study results indicate that the reach of physical therapy-related tweets may not be as broad as intended by the author. Physical therapy professionals and the hospitals/clinics that employ them may need to implement strategies to be more intentional in reaching a broader audience with online messages.

Characterisation of social media conversations on syphilis: an unobtrusive observational study

“…This sample size was chosen for feasibility of analysis, and was comparable to similar published studies. 9,[12][13][14][15] The sample was taken by systematic sampling, including every 10th tweet in the chronological list of all tweets, to avoid selection bias.…”