Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Digital Patient Engagement and Social Media

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Oncology in the Precision Medicine Era

Abstract

The adoption and use of social media in the United States have risen exponentially over the last few decades. In the era of precision oncology medicine, social media use is boundless, with ever-increasing capabilities and innovations. Popularity of social media use in the general public has increased tremendously. At the same time, there is a parallel increase in social media use by healthcare professionals and healthcare professional organizations. While promising, social media use in cancer care and clinical trials is still in its infancy, and improved understanding of the patient, provider, and systems-related implications of social media is needed. As more and more patients engage in social media use for healthcare purposes, oncologists and cancer centers should familiarize themselves with the principles of social media use in clinical care and clinical trials. Using journal articles, research reports, state of the science papers, position papers, and clinical guidelines from professional organizations, the primary purpose of this chapter is to describe the current use of digital patient engagement and social media use in oncology care, and to describe evidence-based information on use of digital technology for personalized oncology care, including clinical trial enrollment and participation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Markham MJ, Gentile D, Graham DL. Social media for networking, professional development, and patient engagement. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book. 2017;37:782–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Dizon DS, Graham D, Thompson MA, Johnson LJ, Johnston C, Fisch MJ, Miller R. Practical guidance: the use of social media in oncology practice. J Oncol Pract. 2012;8:E114–24.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Pew Research Center 2018b. Social Media Use In 2018. www.pewresearch.org. Accessed March 1, 2019.

  4. Pew Research Center 2017. Tech Adoption Climbs Among Older Adults. www.pewresearch.org. Accessed March 1, 2019.

  5. Pew Research Center 2018a. The Science People See On Social Media. www.pewresearch.org. Accessed March 1, 2019.

  6. Patel SS, Majhail NS. Twitter use in the hematopoietic cell transplantation community. Curr Hematol Malig Rep. 2018;13:53–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Chaudhry A, Glode LM, Gillman M, Miller RS. Trends in twitter use by physicians at the American society of clinical oncology annual meeting, 2010 and 2011. J Oncol Pract. 2012;8:173–8.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Ferguson DM, Kao LS. Getting started: a social media primer. Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2017;30:227–32.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Abuhadra N, Majhail NS, Nazha A. Impact of social media for the hematologist/oncologist. Semin Hematol. 2017;54:193–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Attai DJ, Anderson PF, Fisch MJ, Graham DL, Katz MS, Kesselheim J, Markham MJ, Pennell NA, Sedrak MS, Thompson MA, Utengen A, Dizon DS, Collaboration For Outcomes On Social Media In, O. Risks and benefits of twitter use by hematologists/oncologists in the era of digital medicine. Semin Hematol. 2017;54:198–204.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Panahi S, Watson J, Partridge H. Social media and physicians: exploring the benefits and challenges. Health Informatics J. 2016;22:99–112.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Adilman R, Rajmohan Y, Brooks E, Urgoiti GR, Chung C, Hammad N, Trinkaus M, Naseem M, Simmons C, Adilman R, Rajmohan Y, Brooks E, Roldan Urgoiti G, Chung C, Hammad N, Trinkaus M, Naseem M, Simmons C. Social media use among physicians and trainees: results of a National Medical Oncology Physician Survey. J Oncol Pract. 2016;12(79–80):E52–60.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Grajales FJ 3rd, Sheps S, Ho K, Novak-Lauscher H, Eysenbach G. Social media: a review and tutorial of applications in medicine and health care. J Med Internet Res. 2014;16:E13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Carroll CL, Ramachandran P. The intelligent use of digital tools and social media in practice management. Chest. 2014;145:896–902.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Bernhardt JM, Alber J, Gold RS. A social media primer for professionals: Digital Dos And Don’ts. Health Promot Pract. 2014;15:168–72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Gholami-Kordkheili F, Wild V, Strech D. The impact of social media on medical professionalism: a systematic qualitative review of challenges and opportunities. J Med Internet Res. 2013;15:E184.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Tunnecliff J, Weiner J, Gaida JE, Keating JL, Morgan P, Ilic D, Clearihan L, Davies D, Sadasivan S, Mohanty P, Ganesh S, Reynolds J, Maloney S. Translating evidence to practice in the health professions: a randomized trial of Twitter vs Facebook. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2017;24:403–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Moorhead SA, Hazlett DE, Harrison L, Carroll JK, Irwin A, Hoving C. A new dimension of health care: systematic review of the uses, benefits, and limitations of social media for health communication. J Med Internet Res. 2013;15:E85.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Housman LT. “I’m home(screen)!”: social media in health care has arrived. Clin Ther. 2017;39:2189–95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Hillyer GC, Maclean SA, Beauchemin M, Basch CH, Schmitt KM, Segall L, Kelsen M, Brogan FL, Schwartz GK. Youtube videos as a source of information about clinical trials: observational study. JMIR Cancer. 2018;4:E10060.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Whitaker C, Stevelink S, Fear N. The use of facebook in recruiting participants for health research purposes: a systematic review. J Med Internet Res. 2017;19:E290.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Rosa C, Campbell AN, Miele GM, Brunner M, Winstanley EL. Using E-technologies in clinical trials. Contemp Clin Trials. 2015;45:41–54.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Shpilberg S. Social media for clinical trial patient recruitment: the comprehensive guide. American Medical Writers Association Journal. 2017;32:162–5.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Gelinas L, Pierce R, Winkler S, Cohen IG, Lynch HF, Bierer BE. Using social media as a research recruitment tool: ethical issues and recommendations. Am J Bioeth. 2017;17:3–14.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Topolovec-Vranic J, Natarajan K. The use of social media in recruitment for medical research studies: a scoping review. J Med Internet Res. 2016;18:E286.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Frandsen M, Thow M, Ferguson SG. The effectiveness of social media (Facebook) compared with more traditional advertising methods for recruiting eligible participants to health research studies: a randomized, controlled clinical trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2016;5:E161.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Bressler B, Gunn H, Jang J, Vandermeirsch G, Lim XY, Sutcliffe S, Chen JM, Gluck R, Pankovich J. Clinical trial recruitment with social media - what to expect. Gastroenterology. 2016;150:S777–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Storrar W, Brown T, Balls L, Chauhan A, Fogg C. Recruitment to clinical trials - the use of social media. Trials. 2015;16:2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Sedrak M, Cohen RB, Merchant RM, Schapira MM. Twitter: is there an opportunity to improve participation in lung cancer clinical trials? J Thorac Oncol. 2015;10:S197–8.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Glickman SW, Galhenage S, Mcnair L, Barber Z, Patel K, Schulman KA, Mchutchison JG. The potential influence of internet-based social networking on the conduct of clinical research studies. J Empir Res Hum Res Ethics. 2012;7:71–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Giustini D. Social media and clinical trials recruitment: potential benefits and challenges. J Can Health Libr Assoc. 2012;33:140–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Caldwell PH, Hamilton S, Tan A, Craig JC. Strategies for increasing recruitment to randomised controlled trials: systematic review. PLoS Med. 2010;7:E1000368.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. National Institues Of Health. 2016. Guidance regarding social media tools. Available: https://www.nih.gov/Health-Information/Nih-Clinical-Research-Trials-You/Guidance-Regarding-Social-Media-Tools. Accessed 12 Aug 2018.

  34. Carman KL, Dardess P, Maurer M, Sofaer S, Adams K, Bechtel C, Sweeney J. Patient and family engagement: a framework for understanding the elements and developing interventions and policies. Health Aff (Millwood). 2013;32:223–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Househ M, Borycki E, Kushniruk A. Empowering patients through social media: the benefits and challenges. Health Informatics J. 2014;20:50–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Basch CH, Hillyer GC, Reeves R, Basch CE. Analysis of Youtube(tm) videos related to bowel preparation for colonoscopy. World J Gastrointest Endosc. 2014;6:432–5.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  37. Antheunis ML, Tates K, Nieboer TE. Patients’ and health professionals’ use of social media in health care: motives, barriers and expectations. Patient Educ Couns. 2013;92:426–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Sedrak MS, Dizon DS, Anderson PF, Fisch MJ, Graham DL, Katz MS, Kesselheim JC, Miller RS, Thompson MA, Utengen A, Attai DJ, Collaboration For Outcomes On Social Media In, O. The emerging role of professional social media use in oncology. Future Oncol. 2017;13:1281–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Attai DJ, Cowher MS, Al-Hamadani M, Schoger JM, Staley AC, Landercasper J. Twitter social media is an effective tool for breast cancer patient education and support: patient-reported outcomes by survey. J Med Internet Res. 2015;17:E188.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Sedrak MS, Cohen RB, Merchant RM, Schapira MM. Cancer communication in the social media age. JAMA Oncol. 2016;2:822–3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Smailhodzic E, Hooijsma W, Boonstra A, Langley DJ. Social media use in healthcare: a systematic review of effects on patients and on their relationship with healthcare professionals. BMC Health Serv Res. 2016;16:442.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  42. Jenssen BP, Mitra N, Shah A, Wan F, Grande D. Using digital technology to engage and communicate with patients: a survey of patient attitudes. J Gen Intern Med. 2016;31:85–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Campbell L, Evans Y, Pumper M, Moreno MA. Social media use by physicians: a qualitative study of the new frontier of medicine. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2016;16:91.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  44. Alpert JM, Womble FE. Just what the doctor tweeted: physicians’ challenges and rewards of using twitter. Health Commun. 2016;31:824–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Chretien KC, Azar J, Kind T. Physicians on twitter. JAMA. 2011;305:566–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Farnan JM, Snyder Sulmasy L, Worster BK, Chaudhry HJ, Rhyne JA, Arora VM, American College Of Physicians Ethics, P, Human Rights, C, American College Of Physicians Council Of, A, Federation Of State Medical Boards Special Committee On, E. & Professionalism∗. Online medical professionalism: patient and public relationships: policy statement from the American college of physicians and the federation of state medical boards. Ann Intern Med. 2013;158:620–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Lewis MA, Dicker AP. Social media and oncology: the past, present, and future of electronic communication between physician and patient. Semin Oncol. 2015;42:764–71.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nursing and Education, Department of Population Sciences, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA

    Virginia Sun

Authors
  1. Virginia Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Virginia Sun .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA

    Ravi Salgia

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Sun, V. (2020). Digital Patient Engagement and Social Media. In: Salgia, R. (eds) Oncology in the Precision Medicine Era. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31471-2_15

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31471-2_15

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-31470-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-31471-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation