Patient Seeking Behaviors and Online Personas

Ross, Nicholas; Todd, Quintin; Saedi, Nazanin

doi:10.1097/dss.0000000000000267

Cited by 51 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…The higher percentage of use found in our study may reflect the increased popularity of social media in health care, due to technological advances and recent changes in the public perception of social media [50]. Our findings support the argument that there has been a desire among patients to use social media as an additional medium to traditional platforms for obtaining medical information [48]. Thus, social networking sites can be utilized as a platform to distribute educational information regarding dermatological issues for a wider reach of the population and at a potentially lower cost, especially in resource-poor settings in developing countries [51,52].…”

Section: Principal Findingssupporting

confidence: 77%

“…Previous studies have documented the modest use of social media to find or share health-related content and particularly dermatology-related information. Despite reportedly high general social media engagement (85.0-99.3% of the participants reported regular access of at least one social media platform), only 19.0-31.7% of the participants reported accessing dermatology-related information [29,48]. We found that younger patients (aged 18-30 years) were significantly more likely to use social media.…”

Section: Principal Findingsmentioning

confidence: 55%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Understanding Social Media Use and Engagement Among Dermatology Patients to Inform Dermatological Prevention and Care in Vietnam: Cross-sectional Study

Nguyen¹,

Vu²,

Nguyen³

et al. 2020

JMIR Dermatol

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Background Social media has emerged as a common source of dermatological information. Monitoring the patterns of social media use and engagement is important to counteract the limitations of social media. However, evidence in Vietnamese dermatology patients is lacking. Objective This study aimed to explore social media use and engagement by dermatology patients and to identify factors associated with social media use and engagement. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 519 participants at the Vietnam National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology during September to November 2018. Data about sociodemographic characteristics, social media use, and social media engagement were collected. Multivariate logistic and tobit regression models were used to identify factors associated with social media use and engagement. Results Interest in information about “cosmetic, beauty, and skincare techniques” was the greatest (184/519, 46.2%). The mean engagement score was 8.4 points (SD 2.4 points). Female patients were more likely to use social media (odds ratio [OR] 2.23, 95% CI 1.23-4.06) and be interested dermatological information on social media (OR 3.09, 95% CI 1.35-7.09). Women also had higher social media engagement scores (coefficient=0.68, 95% CI 0.17-1.18). Higher social media engagement scores were related with Instagram use (coefficient=0.58, 95% CI 0.00-1.15) and higher credibility scores for “family members” (coefficient=0.15, 95% CI 0.03-0.26) and “dermatology companies” (coefficient=0.22, 95% CI 0.04-0.39). Conclusions This study discovered high social media usage among dermatology patients. However, only moderate utilization and credibility levels were reported regarding the use of social media as a source of dermatological information. More efforts should focus on involving dermatologists in the development of individualized information on social media targeting specific groups of dermatology patients.

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Section: Principal Findingssupporting

confidence: 77%

Section: Principal Findingsmentioning

confidence: 55%

Understanding Social Media Use and Engagement Among Dermatology Patients to Inform Dermatological Prevention and Care in Vietnam: Cross-sectional Study

Nguyen¹,

Vu²,

Nguyen³

et al. 2020

JMIR Dermatol

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“…In response, the subreddit rallied around building a skin positive community with the goal of showcasing imperfections and encouraging the reconstruction of a healthy self-image. Reflecting a prior study on online dermatologic communities, shared struggles appear to link the subreddit’s members together and strengthen communal bonds through mutual aid and support [ 17 ]. Of cross-posts from alternative social media platforms, the majority were from Twitter and Instagram, sites that are frequently used by dermatology-relevant groups [ 18 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skincare in Social Media: Analyzing Prominent Themes in Online Dermatologic Discussions

Reddy¹

2021

Cureus

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Introduction: As the size and influence of online dermatologic communities have developed significantly in recent years, literature concerning the relationship between social media and dermatology grows more important. One community of interest is r/SkincareAddiction, a forum of over 1.2 million members on Reddit that serves as both a support group and discussion aggregator sourcing information from multiple social media platforms. Methods: This study reports on the qualitative analysis of 300 highly engaged posts to identify prominent themes in online dermatologic discussions and determine the extent of multiplatform interaction between Reddit and other dermatology-relevant social networks. Results: Results of an inductive analysis indicate discussions place an emphasis on communicating advice and improving general wellbeing, comprising 71% of measured posts. However, a large portion of this counsel lacks evidence and pseudoscientific recommendations are often accepted as factual. Additionally, 31% of entries were drawn from alternative social media sites. Conclusion: Assessing the prevalent points of discussion in dermatology-relevant communities can inform clinical practice and reveal alternative methods to advance the delivery of care. As patients increasingly seek health advice and support online, developing digital literacy in common dermatologic trends offers a unique opportunity to improve communication, disseminate evidence-based counsel, and combat misinformation in both clinical and online settings.

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“…11 Approximately two-thirds of patients surveyed at a dermatology clinic indicated that they would prefer to read education material written by a physician rather than a layperson on social media. 16 Therefore, collaboration between physicians and patient-centered social networking groups could be an opportunity for patient education.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hair loss treatment information on Facebook: Content analysis and comparison with other online sources

Gupta

Ivanova

2020

J of Cosmetic Dermatology

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Background Facebook is the biggest online social networking platform, and it is being utilized by patients for peer support as well as to explore treatment options. Hair loss patients can experience negative psychological effects and are likely to turn to social networking platforms for support and treatment information. Aims To evaluate the type and quality of Facebook hair loss treatment information that can be accessed by hair loss patients. Methods In August 2020, we searched Google for publicly accessible Facebook hair loss treatment content using the terms hair loss, alopecia, hair loss treatment, hair restoration, and hair transplant. We retrieved 133 Facebook pages and ranked them based on the number of visitors who received regular content updates. Content posted on the Top 5 most popular pages was analyzed based on type (advertising vs informational) and information quality (unsupported or supported by medical evidence). Results Most Facebook hair loss pages advertised products or hair restoration clinics, or were aimed at fundraising for alopecia organizations. There was high interest in natural hair loss treatments and follicular unit excision (FUE) procedures, consistent with global online search trends. Some products advertised as “natural” contained minoxidil. “Before & after” images of FUE procedures were popular with users. Only 3%‐13% of hair loss treatment posts were supported by medical evidence and user engagement with this content was low. Conclusion There is high user interest in hair loss treatment content on Facebook. Hair restoration specialists should discuss online sources of treatment information with potential patients.

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Patient Seeking Behaviors and Online Personas

Abstract: Social media can improve patient education, collaboration, recruitment, and online professional image, leading to healthier patient-centered care.

Cited by 51 publications

References 19 publications

Understanding Social Media Use and Engagement Among Dermatology Patients to Inform Dermatological Prevention and Care in Vietnam: Cross-sectional Study

Understanding Social Media Use and Engagement Among Dermatology Patients to Inform Dermatological Prevention and Care in Vietnam: Cross-sectional Study

Skincare in Social Media: Analyzing Prominent Themes in Online Dermatologic Discussions

Hair loss treatment information on Facebook: Content analysis and comparison with other online sources

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