The Effectiveness of Social Media in the Dissemination of Knowledge About Pain in Dementia

Abstract

Objectives Traditional knowledge dissemination methods have been ineffective in leading to timely and widespread changes in clinical practice. Social media has the potential to reach broader audiences than more traditional methods to disseminate research findings. We evaluated the effectiveness of using social media to mobilize knowledge about pain in dementia. Methods We developed an online repository of evidence-based content (e.g., guidelines, assessment approaches) and a video about pain in dementia. The video was uploaded on YouTube, a video sharing platform. We collaborated with stakeholder organizations on a 5-month social media campaign (#SeePainMoreClearly) on Twitter, a social networking site, to disseminate digital content about pain in dementia. The response to our initiatives was evaluated using web/social media metrics, a video questionnaire, and by comparing the extent of Twitter discussions about pain in dementia before and during the campaign period. Results Web metrics showed a great reach of the initiative: the #SeePainMoreClearly hashtag received over 5,000,000 impressions and was used in 31 countries. The online repository was viewed by 1,218 individuals from 55 countries and the video resulted in 51,000 views. Comparisons between the pre-campaign and campaign periods demonstrated a higher number of posts about pain in dementia during the campaign period. Conclusion Findings have implications for closing the knowledge-to-practice gap in dementia care through faster mobilization of scientific findings. Our campaign compares favorably to other health information dissemination initiatives. The methodologies used in the study could serve as a framework for the development of social media initiatives in other health disciplines.

Are social networks effective in promoting healthy behaviors? A systematic review of evaluations of public health campaigns broadcast on Twitter

“…The record of findings on the effectiveness evidenced by the campaigns indicates that the conversation on Twitter about the issue addressed increased substantially during their broadcast period ( 27 , 29 – 31 , 40 , 43 ). In this regard, in most cases, the evaluation tools were Twitter's own statistics on metrics, impressions and reach, all measured by the numbers of followers, likes, retweets, interactions and conversations generated with the official hashtag ( n = 16; 88.9%).…”

“…In this sense, a large portion of the articles in which Twitter tools were used to analyze campaign metrics and impressions specify that errors or limitations may have occurred in the data that distort the results (n = 11; 61.1%). In addition, an important limitation is that, except in two of the investigations, no post-campaign follow-up was performed, so we only have data from the time of broadcast ( 29 , 35 ). Likewise, the tools used, except in a few cases, have not allowed us to assess the degree of real impact on audience attitudes and behaviors ( 32 , 34 , 41 , 44 ).…”

“…These limitations are exacerbated in campaigns broadcast through social networks ( 53 ). Our review points out the methodological limitations and in the access to information existing in digital impact assessment tools ( 27 , 29 ). Therefore, those responsible for the development and implementation of this type of campaigns might need to be more cautious when measuring their effectiveness, because the validity and reliability of the current tools are questionable.…”

#COVID19 and #Breastcancer: A Qualitative Analysis of Tweets

“…We chose to study Twitter specifically, as the platform prioritizes immediate and up-to-date content, which could be particularly useful for patients making decisions based on the evolving limitations placed on healthcare by the pandemic. Social media has been shown to close the knowledge-to-practice gap through faster dissemination of new research and data [ 36 ]. In fact, the size of a journal’s social media audience is associated with the engagement with academic articles published by that journal [ 37 ].…”

Social media discussions about long-term care and the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The historical data collection feature allows users to input specific keywords, estimate the number of posts with the keywords, and purchase the collected archival data for the given periods. Keyhole has been used in other investigations to collect Twitter data ( Castillo, Hadjistavropoulos, & Brachaniec, 2021 ; Del Vecchio, Mele, Passiante, Vrontis, & Fanuli, 2020 ; Nolte et al, 2021 ; O'Connor, 2017 ).…”