UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Going viral in rheumatology: Using social media to show that mechanistic research is relevant to patients with lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome

McDonnell, TCR; Wincup, C; Rahman, A; Giles, I; (2018) Going viral in rheumatology: Using social media to show that mechanistic research is relevant to patients with lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome. Rheumatology Advances in Practice , 2 (1) , Article rky003. 10.1093/rap/rky003. Green open access

[thumbnail of Giles_Going viral in rheumatology. Using social media to show that mechanistic research is relevant to patients with lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome_VoR.pdf]
Preview
Text
Giles_Going viral in rheumatology. Using social media to show that mechanistic research is relevant to patients with lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome_VoR.pdf - Published Version

Download (272kB) | Preview

Abstract

Objectives. There is a lack of published data regarding patient interaction in basic scientific research, including methodologies for simple, cost-effective interactions and the outcomes of such studies. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the ease of generating patient opinion data on specific scientific research projects whilst establishing a template for other groups to follow. Our secondary objective was to assess which research topics are of most interest to patients with SLE and/or APS. / Methods. Through patient-based interactions, we developed a lay summary of a mechanistic research proposal and a set of associated questions to assess patient opinion on this research topic. We disseminated the questions as an online survey with associated lay summary through patient-based charity websites and social media. The survey was open for 3 weeks. / Results. Of 527 respondents, 520 reported having SLE or APS. The patient response to the research proposal was overwhelmingly positive, with the majority expressing strong interest in the mechanistic aspect of the project. Analysis of free text box responses confirmed that the most popular research topics for patients were as follows: treatment, genetics, triggers, diagnosis and mechanistic research. Interestingly, patient interest in diseasemechanisms featuredmore frequently than clinical topics, such as management of disease flares. / Conclusion. It is possible to conduct short-term, valuable patient engagement at low cost, using an online survey and social media. This methodology may form a good template for future patient engagement. The volume and distribution of positive response shows that patients are interested in mechanistic research.

Type: Article
Title: Going viral in rheumatology: Using social media to show that mechanistic research is relevant to patients with lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1093/rap/rky003
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1093/rap/rky003
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Medicine
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Medicine > Inflammation
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Biochemical Engineering
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10071491
Downloads since deposit
72Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item