Christopher Soo-Guan Khoo*, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore Kevin C.h. Lai, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore Amalyasa Mohd Khalid, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore Jacquelyn Shihui Wang, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore Track: Research Presentation Topic: Health information on the web: Supply and Demand Presentation Type: Oral presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Building: Mermaid Room: Room 3 - Upper River Room Date: 2013-09-24 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Last modified: 2013-09-25

If you are the presenter of this abstract (or if you cite this abstract in a talk or on a poster), please show the QR code in your slide or poster (QR code contains this URL).

Background: Many people are obtaining drug information from Internet sources, either for themselves or on behalf of relatives and friends. In addition to authoritative drug information websites with information provided by healthcare institutions, there is now a plethora of social media sites with user-contributed content. The question arises whether health-related social media sites contain useful types of information not found on authoritative sites, and whether patients as well as healthcare professionals can gain useful knowledge from user-contributed content.

Objective: The objective of the study is to identify the types of drug-related information available on social media sites compared to authoritative drug information websites.

Methods: The three authoritative websites (Mayo Clinic, Epocrates, and DrugLib) and three social media sites (Patients like me, WebMD, Rate A Drug) were selected for the study. Three chronic health conditions (chronic pain, insomnia and diabetes) and five common prescription drugs for each of these conditions were selected for analyze (15 drugs in total).
Information from the authoritative sites were analyzed by comparing and conflating the section headings, and examining the paragraphs to identify subtypes of information. For the unstructured information, at least 20 postings and at least three pages were downloaded. Content analysis was carried out to identify the types of patient experiences reported.

Results: The authoritative sites provide generally the same kinds of information, but each site carries more detailed information on certain aspects:
- Mayo Clinic carries more detailed information for particular groups of patients—patients with particular allergies, children, the aged, pregnant women, and women who are breastfeeding. Side-effect information is subdivided into degrees of likelihood.
- Epocrates has additional subsections under dosage (e.g., dosage for children), contraindications, side-effects, and drug interactions. It also provides pill pictures, manufacturers and pricing.
- DrugLib provides more information for special groups—special risk patients, pregnant women, “nonteratogenic effects”, “labor and delivery”, “nursing mothers”, children, and the aged. It also carries information on clinical trials, mechanism of action, toxicity, etc. that are of interest to health professionals.

Types of information that can found on social media sites and not on authoritative sites are:
- Efficacy—users’ experience
- Treatment burden—users’ difficulties with various aspects of the treatment, and convenience issues
- Cost—users’ financial burden, and experience with the insurance and government subsidy
- Quality of life—impact on the users’ overall wellness and ability to have a normal life
- Stop reasons—users’ recorded reason to stop treatment, which includes severe side effects, ineffectiveness, cost, or instruction by the doctor
- User experience—this includes coping advice, beneficial complementary drug or treatment, dietary habits, etc.
- Accessibility to drug—at the users’ geographical locality
- Reported treatment duration, dosage and adherence to treatment.

Some social media sites allow users to learn more about the community and specific patients taking the drug. Patients Like Me allows users to drill down from a drug to its side effects, and then to information about the group of users that listed the side effects.