Applications of Social Media for Research and Health Promotion

Joyce Lee, MD, MPH Doctor as Designer Twitter: @joyclee

JAMA Pediatrics Social Media Editor

Agenda

•  Social Media Statistics

•  Users/Features

•  Opportunities/Challenges

Agenda

•  Social Media Statistics

•  Users/Features

•  Opportunities/Challenges

Q: Are there any other uses of social media in clinical medicine

or research that you want to learn about?

A: “No. This is a complete waste of time. This is not real research.

The fad will die out soon.”

% of US Adults who use Social Media (2012-2014)

Pew Research

Agenda

•  Social Media Statistics

•  Users/Features

•  Opportunities/Challenges

“Teens are leaving Facebook in droves for new f r iends l ike Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter - at an estimated rate of up to a million a year…It’s hard to look cool when you’re hanging out with Mom and Dad.”

Intimacy Less Social Pressure

“Privacy” Fast and visual

Exclusively Mobile

Snapchat

Yikyak

Campaigns

http://foodborne.smartchicagoapps.org/

Measurement

Articleurl&utm_campaign=social_42414&utm_medium=email&utm_source=healthdesignbyus Articleurl&utm_campaign=social_42414&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=@healthbyus Articleurl&utm_campaign=social_42414&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=healthdesignbyus

Google Analytics

Recruitment

Facebook Targeting by: •  Age (18-25) •  Location (United States or California) •  Language (English) •  Tobacco- and/or marijuana-related keywords

that appeared in their Facebook profiles

Intervention

Rare Disease Research

Only pt with NGLY-1

#umichmed

#umichmed

16 cases worldwide Parent advocacy/fundraising

Treatments Clinical Trials

#umichmed

#umichmed

Patient survey about protein losing enteropathy (PLE) and plastic bronchitis (PB) •  Hosted on website & Facebook page •  Posted on 2 existing, patient-run Facebook

pages •  Request for survey results ->asked to refer

other individuals •  Google ads

Challenges

Limitations •  No available detailed clinical data (i.e.

hemodynamic data in CHD) •  Disease verification •  Bias of online communities •  Privacy (social media is not secure)

Social Media Research in Diabetes

Studies

•  Descriptive Survey •  Ethnography – Health communities/Makers

•  Facebook Mining – Reliability of Health Information

•  Patient powered research network?

Take the survey! www.nightscoutstudy.info

http://nightscoutstudy.info/ http://twittersuperuser.com/