Use of Social Media as a Platform for Education and Support for People With Diabetes During a Global Pandemic
Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Patient education is a fundamental aspect of self-management of diabetes. The aim of this study was to understand whether a social media platform is a viable method to deliver education to people with diabetes and understand if people would engage and interact with it. METHODS: Education sessions were provided via 3 platforms in a variety of formats. "Tweetorials" and quizzes were delivered on the diabetes101 Twitter account, a virtual conference via Zoom and video presentations uploaded to YouTube. Audience engagement during and after the sessions were analyzed using social media metrics including impressions and engagement rate using Twitter analytics, Tweepsmap, and YouTube Studio. RESULTS: A total of 22 "tweetorial" sessions and 5 quizzes with a total of 151 polls (both in tweetorial and quiz sessions) receiving a total of 21,269 votes took place. Overall, the 1-h tweetorial sessions gained 1,821,088 impressions with an engagement rate of 6.3%. The sessions received a total of 2,341 retweets, 2,467 replies and 10,060 likes. The quiz days included 113 polls receiving 16,069 votes. The conference covered 8 topics and was attended live by over 100 people on the day. The video presentations on YouTube have received a total of 2,916 views with a watch time of 281 h and 8,847 impressions. CONCLUSION: Despite the limitations of social media, it can be harnessed to provide relevant reliable information and education about diabetes allowing people the time and space to learn at their own pace.
Authors: Rebecca L. Thomas, Victoria Alabraba, Sam Barnard, Hannah Beba, Julie Brake, Alison Cox, Rachael Bowker, Donna Edwards, Amanda Epps, Tamsin Fletcher-Salt, Patrick Holmes, Partha S. Kar, Nusrat Kausar, Bethany Kelly, Maria Leveridge, Phillip Newland-Jones, Sze May Ng, Amar Puttana, Rose Stewart
Institutions: Swansea University, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Medway NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, National Health Service, Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, University of Southampton, Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, University of Liverpool, Good Hope Hospital, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,000
OpenAlex ID: W3208035523