Contributions
Abstract: EP1407
Type: ePoster
Abstract Category: Clinical aspects of MS - 8 Clinical assessment tools
Background: Social media are a vital link for people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) who find in web-communities a comforting source for information exchange, debates and knowledge enrichment. PwMS are well informed about the disease but are vulnerable to hopes of being cured or saved by therapies whose efficacy is not always scientifically proven. To overcome this issue, we created an MS experts social network (SMsocialnetwork.com), guaranteeing a constant online presence of the medical team to oversee and participate on the public wall and intervening promptly in case of posts with false or inappropriate medical information.
Objective: To assess the impact of SMsocialnetwork.com on pwMS health-related coping and social interaction analyzing the areas of interest through a web-based survey.
Methods: Referring to previous marketing studies analyzing the online platforms role in targeted healthcare, we conducted a 39 item web-based survey. To investigate health related coping and social interaction in pwMS we performed a construct validation procedure, with a factorial analysis, gathering together akin items of the survey, related of the following areas of interests:“utility”, “proximity”, “sharing”, “interaction”, “solving uncertainty”, “suggestion attitude” and “explore”.
Results: We collected 130 web-based survey. Our analysis demonstrated that the users-pwMS (UP) positively evaluated SMsocialnetwork.com to
a) obtain information, approach and solve problems and to make decision (“utility”: median 4,2)
b) improve feeling of closeness (“proximity”: median 5)
c) catalyze relationship (“sharing”: median 5.6)
d) get in touch with other users to receive innovative, effective and practical solutions
(“interaction”, “solving uncertainty” and “suggestion attitude” medians were, respectively: 4.1, 3 and 3)
e) share information about innovative therapeutic approaches and treatment options
(“sharing”: median: 5.3).
Conclusion: SMsocialnetwork was perceived by UP as a useful tool to support health-related coping and social interaction, and may suggest a new kind of therapeutic alliance between physicians and pwMS.
Disclosure:
Luigi Lavorgna: nothing to disclose,
Antonio Russo: nothing to disclose,
Manuela De Stefano: nothing to disclose,
Roberta Lanzillo: nothing to disclose,
Sabrina Esposito: nothing to disclose,
Fatemeh Moshatari: nothing to disclose,
Francesco Rullani: nothing to disclose,
Kirie Piscopo: nothing to disclose,
Daniela Buonanno: nothing to disclose,
Vincenzo Brescia Morra: nothing to disclose,
Antonio Gallo: nothing to disclose,
Gioacchino Tedeschi: nothing to disclose,
Simona Bonavita: nothing to disclose.
Abstract: EP1407
Type: ePoster
Abstract Category: Clinical aspects of MS - 8 Clinical assessment tools
Background: Social media are a vital link for people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) who find in web-communities a comforting source for information exchange, debates and knowledge enrichment. PwMS are well informed about the disease but are vulnerable to hopes of being cured or saved by therapies whose efficacy is not always scientifically proven. To overcome this issue, we created an MS experts social network (SMsocialnetwork.com), guaranteeing a constant online presence of the medical team to oversee and participate on the public wall and intervening promptly in case of posts with false or inappropriate medical information.
Objective: To assess the impact of SMsocialnetwork.com on pwMS health-related coping and social interaction analyzing the areas of interest through a web-based survey.
Methods: Referring to previous marketing studies analyzing the online platforms role in targeted healthcare, we conducted a 39 item web-based survey. To investigate health related coping and social interaction in pwMS we performed a construct validation procedure, with a factorial analysis, gathering together akin items of the survey, related of the following areas of interests:“utility”, “proximity”, “sharing”, “interaction”, “solving uncertainty”, “suggestion attitude” and “explore”.
Results: We collected 130 web-based survey. Our analysis demonstrated that the users-pwMS (UP) positively evaluated SMsocialnetwork.com to
a) obtain information, approach and solve problems and to make decision (“utility”: median 4,2)
b) improve feeling of closeness (“proximity”: median 5)
c) catalyze relationship (“sharing”: median 5.6)
d) get in touch with other users to receive innovative, effective and practical solutions
(“interaction”, “solving uncertainty” and “suggestion attitude” medians were, respectively: 4.1, 3 and 3)
e) share information about innovative therapeutic approaches and treatment options
(“sharing”: median: 5.3).
Conclusion: SMsocialnetwork was perceived by UP as a useful tool to support health-related coping and social interaction, and may suggest a new kind of therapeutic alliance between physicians and pwMS.
Disclosure:
Luigi Lavorgna: nothing to disclose,
Antonio Russo: nothing to disclose,
Manuela De Stefano: nothing to disclose,
Roberta Lanzillo: nothing to disclose,
Sabrina Esposito: nothing to disclose,
Fatemeh Moshatari: nothing to disclose,
Francesco Rullani: nothing to disclose,
Kirie Piscopo: nothing to disclose,
Daniela Buonanno: nothing to disclose,
Vincenzo Brescia Morra: nothing to disclose,
Antonio Gallo: nothing to disclose,
Gioacchino Tedeschi: nothing to disclose,
Simona Bonavita: nothing to disclose.