Habits of using social media and the internet in psoriasis patients

Abstract

Introduction: Psoriasis significantly affects the patients’ quality of life, which often leads patients to seek online information about this disease. Objectives: To explore the habits of patients with psoriasis related to their use of SM and the internet to obtain information about their disease. Methods: 1,520 patients completed the survey and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire. The Psoriasis Area Severity Index scores (PASI) and clinical data of the patients were recorded by their physicians. Results: Of the 1,114 patients that reported using social media (SM) and the internet, 48.38% regularly and 31.14% sometimes resorted to obtain information about psoriasis. The use of SM and the internet for psoriasis was statistically significantly higher among young people (p=0.000), those with university or higher education (p=0.009), higher DLQI (p=0.000) and PASI (p=0.011) scores, facial (p=0.050), scalp (p=0.032), hand (p=0.048), genital (p=0.001) and inverse (p=0.000) involvement, and arthralgia/arthritis (p=0.006). The participants mostly used the Google (86%) and Facebook (%41). More than half the participants (62.8%) expected dermatologists to inform society that psoriasis is not contagious. Conclusion: The internet and SM being widely available and offering substantial information to be easily accessed make it very attractive for patients to use these platforms to investigate diseases, including psoriasis. If what is presented on SM conflicts with what the physician says, patients mostly trust the latter, but at the same time, they tend not to share the results of their online inquiries with their physicians.

Patient journey and disease‐related digital media usage: A cross‐sectional study among dermatology patients across Germany

“…To improve person‐centered care by realizing the potential of digital media in office‐based dermatological health care, this nationwide study identified digital media use patterns in relation to skin conditions and factors influencing the impact of digital media on the patient‐physician relationship and the patient journey. Consistent with literature, digital media users tended to be younger and have chronic skin condition 3,5,7–11 . Google, online encyclopedias, and health platforms were frequently used digital media regardless of the patient journey stage, addressing diagnosis/causes and therapy/prognosis before and after a dermatological consultation, respectively.…”

“…Nevertheless, the large nationwide sample is representative for Germany for gender 45 and age 46 (excluding those under 18 years). Further studies should consider participants’ high education level 47 and prior skin conditions, impacting the absence of education‐related digital media use and comparatively lower digital media use 3,5,6 . Furthermore, it should be noted that the data collection instrument used was a non‐validated measuring tool.…”

“…Digital media have provided new opportunities for person‐centered medicine and health care 1,2 . An increasing number of people are considering digital media as an important source of health information and are using digital media to anonymously access a wide range of health information without delay 3–7 . Health‐related internet and social media use is particularly prevalent.…”

“…Health‐related internet and social media use is particularly prevalent. Studies have demonstrated that digital media use is more common among younger individuals, women, individuals with a higher education and health literacy level, individuals living in rural areas, people with chronic diseases, and a higher disease severity 3,5,7–11 . In dermatology, digital media are especially useful because of the visual nature of the specialty, e.g., one can use image‐based diagnostic aids 12 .…”

Internet and social media preferences of orthopaedic patients vary according to factors such as age and education levels

“…LaValley et al (2017) conducted a survey in United States and reported that older age was correlated with the use of academic websites among internet search. Aslan Kayıran et al (2022), in their study investigating the use of the internet and social media among psoriasis patients, reported that the use of social media platforms was significantly higher in younger patients. Our findings are compatible with the world literature.…”