INTERIM PERFORMANCE METRICS OF AN INNOVATIVE, WEB-BASED CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION PLATFORM

Abstract

Hamilton, Ontario BACKGROUND: As survival rates from coronary artery disease (CAD) increase, the prevalence of persistent cardiac pain-related conditions is on the rise. Our aim was to disseminate a web-based, multi-media resource centre for persistent cardiac pain, CardiacPain.Net, as a prototype for large-scale knowledge dissemination; partners included Elsevier, the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Pain Coalition and Argyle Communications. METHODS: CardiacPain.Net was based on the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) knowledge to action cycle as well as the CIHR framework for citizen engagement. Substantive content for dissemination via CardiacPain.Net was designed to tailor specific aspects of knowledge inquiry, synthesis, and product tools (e.g. clinical practice guidelines, diagnostic phenotype criteria). Affected citizens were engaged across all phases of designing architecture. Multi-media design features included open access published resources, narrated video presentations, expert and citizen roundtable discussions, downloadable fact sheets, and an asynchronous discussion forum.Dissemination strategies included opt-in email blasts to Elsevier subscribers (n1⁄4 95,000) every 3 months, online banner advertising, LinkedIn and Google advertizing, and mass social media including Twitter and Facebook. Accreditation of CardiacPain.Net for continuing medical education in Canada and United States was secured to maximize incentive for end-user uptake. Standard dissemination metrics included total site visits and components visited and downloaded. Customized metrics included unique and return visitor rates, bounce rate, stream views, unique end-user tracking, social media trends, and geo-targeting. All metrics were analyzed in aggregate and distributions were examined for outliers and monthly trends. RESULTS: Interim examination of dissemination metrics found that in 3 months since initial launch CardiacPain.Net has had 2,549 total visits, 1,913 unique visits, and 5,418 page views. Specific multimedia presentations and open access resources were viewed and downloaded 414 and 413 times, respectively. Unique and return visitor rates were 71.1% and 28.9% respectively with a bounce rate of 47%. Twitter constituted 75% of all social media interactions (n1⁄4 124) featuring CardiacPain. Net content. Geo-targeting analyses found that unique end-users spanned 25 countries across 5 continents. CONCLUSION: Our interim 3-month analyses suggest that as a large-scale knowledge dissemination prototype, CardiacPain.Net is capable of being far reaching and engaging to end users seeking knowledge on persistent forms of cardiac pain. Linear and Poisson regression analyses at 6 and 12 months follow up are required to determine the influence of design features, region of origin, and operating systems on customized dissemination metrics.