Website Hits Research Articles

Impact of Digital Patient Education & Support Group in Glaucoma

Purpose: To assess the impact of digital patient education resource related to glaucoma diagnosis and treatment. Methods: We assessed the patient engagement with and response to the digital patient education resources. We compared the two clinical outcomes: before the development of this digital patient education resource in 2011 and after its introduction in 2019, the year preceding the Covid 19 pandemic. We compared the rate of need for new certification of visual impairment and any definitive glaucoma surgeries needed between these two 12-month tenures. Result: The google analytics showed a very enthusiastic acceptance of the digital patient education by the population of Worcestershire. There were very high rates of website hits, downloads and video views. This study showed a slight decline in the rate of CVI registration from average of 40.6 in 2011 to 38.3 in 2019. This study also showed a significant reduction in the numbers of trabeculectomy surgery from 92 in 2011 to 37 in 2019. The overall glaucoma surgical rates decreased from 131 in 2011 to 121 in 2019, which was despite an increased demand and early-intervention surgical procedures being developed (? Offered/available). Conclusion: There is a possible weak correlation between implementation of digital patient education and positive clinical outcomes in the reduced need for both Glaucoma surgery and the Certification of visual impairment. Literature review shows this to be the first ever study showing the impact of digital patient education on the Glaucoma surgical rates. There was a remarkable acceptance of the technology by the local population of Worcestershire despite the older age group patient-population.

Evaluating the Readability of Online Patient Education Materials Related to Orthopedic Oncology.

The internet is increasingly used to access patient education materials. The average American reading level has been found to be that of a 7th- to 8th-grade student, prompting the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Medical Association (AMA) to advise that patient education materials be written between the 4th- to 6th-grade reading level. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reading level of current patient education materials for the most common musculoskeletal oncological tumors. A Google search was performed with all location filters off to account for geographic variability for patient education materials related to 28 orthopedic primary or secondary tumors. All patient education articles from the first 10 website hits for each tumor type were analyzed. Patient education materials from these websites were evaluated using 8 validated readability scales. Patient resources were found to be written at an average grade level nearly double the NIH and AMA recommendation. Patient education materials for soft tissue chondromas were written at the highest level (14.8±1.9), whereas education materials for chordomas (10.1±1.0) most closely approached national recommendations, despite still being written at a readability level nearly 4 grade levels higher than has been recommended. The Flesch Reading Ease assessment provided a mean score of 46.5±7.7, corresponding with a "difficult to read" result. Current patient education materials regarding oncological musculoskeletal-related patient education materials are written significantly above the recommended reading level. Further modification of these resources is warranted to ensure adequate comprehension and informed decision making in the clinical setting. [Orthopedics. 2021;44(1):38-42.].

The impact of Grindr advertising on attendance and HIV testing by men who have sex with men at a sexual health clinic in northern Sydney.

Grindr is a geolocation smartphone application popular among men who have sex with men (MSM) to find sexual partners. We conducted a study to assess if attendance and HIV testing amongst MSM increased due to advertisements on Grindr that promoted our service. We measured clinic website hits by users clicking through from Grindr; we counted self-reported registrations that nominated referral from Grindr; and we compared new patient attendances and HIV tests in MSM with heterosexual men, for the 18 months preceding the intervention and the 18 months of the intervention. During the intervention the clinic's website received 11,799 unique hits from Grindr users. The average monthly rate of attendances by new MSM increased 70.3% from 19.0 to 32.3, compared with a 5.5% increase among new heterosexual men from 45.6 to 48.1. The average monthly rate of HIV tests among MSM increased 43.6% from 47.0 to 67.6, compared with a 3.9% increase amongst heterosexual men from 40.0 to 41.6. The MSM:heterosexual men rate ratio for new patient attendances changed from 0.42 to 0.67 (p < 0.001, adjusted for possible underlying time trends in each period), and for HIV tests this rate ratio changed from 1.18 to 1.63 (p < 0.001, adjusted for possible underlying time trends in each period). The effects of the intervention did not significantly change over the course of the 18-month intervention. This study suggests that advertising on Grindr was effective and durable as a means of increasing attendance and HIV testing rates among MSM in northern Sydney.

Using digital and social media for health promotion: A social marketing approach for addressing co-morbid physical and mental health.

This study examines consumer engagement with a social marketing digital media strategy designed to support the implementation of Equally Well-a program to improve the physical health of people living with mental illness. A four-stage strategic analysis and intervention mix were used as the theoretical framework to assess stakeholder needs and to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Online and digital media. Mental health consumers, carers, clinicians and service managers. A digital media, social marketing intervention to support those seeking to improve the physical health of people living with mental illness. The strategy was developed using a co-design methodology and provided links to self-care resources, access to service providers, clinical tools for health professionals and links to existing successful rural programs. The main outcome measures were the number of people from each category accessing the media, making connections and downloading resources. The program has resulted in more than 24500 website hits per annum, 3500 tweets and 14.5million Twitter impressions with good bounce and download rates. The analysis suggested the materials were mostly used by clinicians and service managers using desktop computers. Using a co-design approach, the study demonstrated the potential of a social marketing digital media strategy as a health promotion methodology. The paper has provided a framework for implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of digital social media campaigns that can help consumers, carers, clinicians and service planners address the challenges of rural health service delivery and the tyranny of distance.

Development of e-learning in medical education: 10 years' experience of Korean medical schools.

PurposeWe aimed to explore medical students’ online learning patterns and needs by analyzing data obtained from an e-learning portal of Korean medical schools.MethodsData were obtained from learning resources and registered users of the e-learning portal by the consortium of 36 Korean medical schools, e-MedEdu (www.mededu.or.kr) over a period of 10 years. Data analytics were performed of its contents and usage patterns using descriptive statistics.ResultsThe website currently has over 1,600 resources, which have almost tripled over the past decade, and 28,000 registered users. Two hundred and twenty medical faculty have contributed the resources; a majority of them were clinical cases and video clips, which accounted for 30% and 27% of all resources, respectively. The website has received increasing hits over the past decade; annual website hits increased from 80,000 in 2009 to over 300,000 in 2018. The number of hits on resources varied across resource types and subjects; 90% of all website hits were on online videos, and 28% of them originated from mobile devices. Among the online videos, those on procedural skills received more hits than those on patient encounters and video lectures.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate the increasing use of e-learning in medical education in Korea over the past decade. Our study also shows a wide disparity in the frequency of use in learning resources across resource types and subjects, which have implications for improvements in the design and development of learning resources to better meet medical students’ curricular needs and their learning styles.

Effectiveness of a social media marketing campaign to increase awareness and membership of a physical activity website

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits and costs of an online social media marketing campaign for 10,000 Steps Australia, an online physical activity project. It examined how a campaign using paid ads would impact the project's reach and engagement on social media as well as influence website hits, website registrations, and mobile app downloads.

P162 NHS GGC staff HIV anti-stigma campaign

IntroductionPeople living with HIV, and maintained on ARVs, can live long and healthy lives.Consequently, there is a growing cohort of people living and ageing with HIV, who are attending NHSGGC for non-HIV related conditions. However, many patients report experiencing stigma and discrimination within these services. NHSGGC responded to this by creating a HIV anti-stigma campaign.MethodsA baseline staff survey was conducted to ascertain knowledge, attitudes and training needs. These results and input from the HIV Patient Forum shaped the campaign, which consisted of: A range of materials, merchandise and activity including posters, road shows, factsheets; training, digital updates and direct messaging to service managers; A patient toolkit which empowers them to challenge stigma and discrimination; Short dramatic videos illustrating patient experience; A repeat staff survey was carried out in 2016Results4000 responses to the baseline survey; 9,325 unique website hits; 300+ staff engaged at road shows; 15 delegates attending training; 1,521 responses to the repeat survey; excellent partnership working between NHSGGC staff and members of the patient forum.DiscussionThe campaign was successful in raising HIV with non-specialist staff. However, uptake of training was low despite an expressed need. Lack of time to train in non-mandatory areas was an issue. Those that did attend training evaluated it well. Results from the repeat survey will shape future interventions for staff.

The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research Burn Model System: Twenty Years of Contributions to Clinical Service and Research.

The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) established the Burn Model System (BMS) in 1993 to improve the lives of burn survivors. The BMS program includes 1) a multicenter longitudinal database describing the functional and psychosocial recovery of burn survivors; 2) site-specific burn-related research; and 3) a knowledge dissemination component directed toward patients and providers. Output from each BMS component was analyzed. Database structure, content, and access procedures are described. Publications using the database were identified and categorized to illustrate the content area of the work. Unused areas of the database were identified for future study. Publications related to site-specific projects were cataloged. The most frequently cited articles are summarized to illustrate the scope of these projects. The effectiveness of dissemination activities was measured by quantifying website hits and information downloads. There were 25 NIDILRR-supported publications that utilized the database. These articles covered topics related to psychological outcomes, functional outcomes, community reintegration, and burn demographics. There were 172 site-specific publications; highly cited articles demonstrate a wide scope of study. For information dissemination, visits to the BMS website quadrupled between 2013 and 2014, with 124,063 downloads of educational material in 2014. The NIDILRR BMS program has played a major role in defining the course of burn recovery, and making that information accessible to the general public. The accumulating information in the database serves as a rich resource to the burn community for future study. The BMS is a model for collaborative research that is multidisciplinary and outcome focused.

The quality and readability of internet information regarding clavicle fractures.

The internet has become a major source of health information for patients. However, there has been little scrutiny of health information available on the internet to the public. Our objectives were to evaluate the quality and readability of information available on the internet regarding clavicle fractures and whether they changed with academic affiliation of the website or with complexity of the search term. Through a prospective evaluation of 3 search engines using 3 different search terms of varying complexity ("broken collarbone," "collarbone fracture," and "clavicle fracture"), we evaluated 91 website hits for quality and readability. Websites were specifically analyzed by search term and by website type. Information quality was evaluated on a four-point scale, and information readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid score for reading grade level. The average quality score for our website hits was low, and the average reading grade level was far above the recommended level. Academic websites offered significantly higher quality information, whereas commercial websites offered significantly lower quality information. The use of more complex search terms yielded information of higher reading grade level but not higher quality. Current internet information regarding clavicle fractures is of low quality and low readability. Higher quality information utilizing more accessible language on clavicle fractures is needed on the internet. It is important to be aware of the information accessible to patients prior to their presentation to our clinics. Patients should be advised to visit websites with academic affiliations and to avoid commercial websites.

The Quality and Readability of Information Available on the Internet Regarding Lumbar Fusion.

Study Design An Internet-based evaluation of Web sites regarding lumbar fusion. Objective The Internet has become a major resource for patients; however, the quality and readability of Internet information regarding lumbar fusion is unclear. The objective of this study is to evaluate the quality and readability of Internet information regarding lumbar fusion and to determine whether these measures changed with Web site modality, complexity of the search term, or Health on the Net Code of Conduct certification. Methods Using five search engines and three different search terms of varying complexity (“low back fusion,” “lumbar fusion,” and “lumbar arthrodesis”), we identified and reviewed 153 unique Web site hits for information quality and readability. Web sites were specifically analyzed by search term and Web site modality. Information quality was evaluated on a 5-point scale. Information readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid score for reading grade level. Results The average quality score was low. The average reading grade level was nearly six grade levels above that recommended by National Work Group on Literacy and Health. The quality and readability of Internet information was significantly dependent on Web site modality. The use of more complex search terms yielded information of higher reading grade level but not higher quality. Conclusions Higher-quality information about lumbar fusion conveyed using language that is more readable by the general public is needed on the Internet. It is important for health care providers to be aware of the information accessible to patients, as it likely influences their decision making regarding care.

Worth the "Likes"? The Use of Facebook among Plastic Surgeons and Its Perceived Impact.

Facebook is the leading online media platform used by plastic surgeons. This study examined Facebook use among plastic surgeons and its perceived impact. A survey on Facebook use was distributed to two groups of plastic surgeons: 500 with professional Facebook pages and 500 without Facebook pages. Responses were stripped of identifying information and analyzed for statistical significance (p < 0.05). One hundred twenty-three total surveys were completed (12.3 percent response rate). No respondents with Facebook reported a negative impact on their practice, whereas 57 percent reported a very positive or positive impact. There was no correlation with perceived impact and number of "likes." Perceived advantages of Facebook included facilitation of patient feedback/communication (77 percent) and increased practice exposure (67 percent). Many surgeons (15 to 36 percent) did not follow the direct impact of Facebook on their practices. Some reported that Facebook was responsible for only one to 50 professional Web site hits and less than 5 percent of their new patient referrals in the past year. Estimated conversion-to-surgery rates were highly variable for Facebook users and nonusers. Most Facebook nonusers (67 percent) expected a "neutral" impact, expressing more concerns about unsolicited advertising (51 percent) and wasting time (47 percent). Plastic surgeons tend to perceive Facebook's impact on their practices as positive, but most do not track its direct effects on professional Web site hits, new referrals, or conversion-to-surgery rates. Plastic surgeons using Facebook are encouraged to monitor these parameters to determine whether its continued use is actually worthwhile.

The availability and depiction of synthetic cathinones (bath salts) on the Internet: Do online suppliers employ features to maximize purchases?

Background“Bath salts”, a derivative of cathinone, a naturally occurring beta-ketone amphetamine analogue found in the leaves of the khat (Catha edulis) plant, is a potent class of designer drugs associated with significant medical and psychiatric consequences. They are commonly used among 20–29 year olds, a group with easy access to the Internet and an inclination to purchase online. Therefore, the Internet has the potential to play a significant role in the distribution and associated consequences of these “legal highs”. MethodsGoogle searches were used to determine bath salts availability on retail websites and how different search terms affected the proportion of retail websites obtained. Retail websites were reviewed by two independent raters who examined content with a focus on characteristics that increase the likelihood of online sales. ResultsOf the 250 websites found, 31 were unique retail websites. Most retail website hits resulted when a product name was used as the search term. The top three countries hosting retail websites were registered in the United States (n=14; 45%), Germany (n=7; 23%), and the United Kingdom (n=3; 10%). These online drug suppliers provided considerable information and purchasing choice about a variety of synthetic cathinones, legitimized their sites by using recognizable images, online chat features, and mainstream payment and shipping methods, and employed characteristics that promote online purchases. ConclusionOnline designer drug suppliers use sophisticated methods to market unregulated products to consumers. The international community has taken diverse approaches to address designer drugs: legislative bans, harm reduction approaches, an interim regulated legal market. Multifaceted efforts that target bath salt users, suppliers, and emergency/poison control entities are critical to comprehensively address bath salt ingestion and its consequences.

The use of social media for recruitment and communication in multicentre collaborative studies

s / International Journal of Surgery 12 (2014) S13eS117 S51 suffered significant delays accessing ultrasound (USS) if they attended in the latter half of the week. Methods: Patients admitted to the general surgical department at Blackpool Victoria Hospital during a 3-month period were identified; those investigated by USS were included. Data onwhen the USS was ordered and reported was collected. The week was split Monday-Wednesday, Thursday-Sunday and analysed using an unpaired t-test. Results: 107 patients underwent USS Monday-Wednesday, 88 patients Thursday-Sunday. The mean time taken to report the USS Mon-wed was 20.70hours (SD15.56); Thurs-sun 39.52hours (SD 37.04); A significantly longer time in the Thursday-Sunday group, +18.82hours (95% CI +11.04 +26.60)(p<0.0001). Conclusions: These results highlight the need for a greater provision of USS in the latter half of the week to enable equal access. As a result of delays to USS it is likely patients admitted Thursday-Sunday have prolonged admissions increasing costs to the NHS. 0854: THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR RECRUITMENT AND COMMUNICATION IN MULTICENTRE COLLABORATIVE STUDIES Charlotte Carpenter, Helen Stark , Natalie Blencowe , Sean Strong 2 SPARCS Severn and Peninsula Audit and Research Collaborative1Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, UK; University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. Introduction: Surgical studies can be difficult to design and conduct and often face problems with recruiting adequate numbers of participants. We describe and evaluate the use of social media to facilitate the recruitment of geographically diverse centres to a trainee collaborative-delivered study involving general surgical patients. Methods: A communications team co-ordinated the dissemination of information and answering queries to facilitate targeted recruitment. ‘Interventions’ were delivered throughout recruitment, including email newsletters, targeted emails and tweets. Twitter support sessionswere held to share and address concerns. Interventions were correlated with email enquiries, website hits and registration of centres participating in the study. Results: Following an email bulletin to ASiT (Association of Surgeons in Training) members and Twitter publicity linked toWorld Sepsis Day, email enquiries that week increased to 47 (weekly mean 1⁄49) and 47 more centres confirmed participation. The website attracted 358 additional hits following the first twitter support session and registered centres increased from 108 to 120 during this period. Conclusions: Social media should be considered in future studies to maximise recruitment in a cost effective manner. Social media enables discussion amongst all collaborators and helps to maintain interest and motivation of participating clinicians. 0863: ADHERENCE TO ANTIBIOTIC PROPHYLAXIS TRUST GUIDELINES FOR ELECTIVE INGUINAL HERNIA REPAIR AND LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY: A RE-AUDIT. Kathryn O'Shea, Caroline Cozon, Magdi Hanafy. Leighton Hospital, Crewe,

A cost-effectiveness analysis of online, radio and print tobacco control advertisements targeting 25-39 year-old males.

To assess the relative cost-effectiveness of various non-television advertising media in encouraging 25-39 year-old male smokers to respond to a cessation-related call to action. Information about how new electronic media compare in effectiveness is important to inform the implementation of future tobacco control media campaigns. Two testimonial advertisements featuring members of the target group were developed for radio, press and online media. Multiple waves of media activity were scheduled over a period of seven weeks, including an initial integrated period that included all three media and subsequent single media phases that were interspersed with a week of no media activity. The resulting Quit website hits, Quitline telephone calls, and registrations to online and telephone counselling services were compared to advertising costs to determine the relative cost-effectiveness of each media in isolation and the integrated approach. The online-only campaign phase was substantially more cost-effective than the other phases, including the integrated approach. This finding is contrary to the current assumption that the use of a consistent message across multiple media simultaneously is the most cost-effective way of reaching and affecting target audiences. Online advertising may be a highly cost-effective channel for low-budget tobacco control media campaigns.

Get Tested Why Not? A novel approach to internet-based chlamydia and gonorrhea testing in Canada.

The objective of the Get Tested Why Not campaign is to increase access to chlamydia and gonorrhea testing and sexual health information, with specific focus on youth. Individuals between the ages of 15-29 are most affected by chlamydia and gonorrhea infections in Ottawa and were identified as the target population. Youth from the target population were engaged in the development and launch of the campaign. Development of the campaign began in 2009 and led to a launch on March 21, 2011. Social media promotion as well as traditional advertising approaches developed awareness of the campaign within the target population. The campaign consists of a bilingual, youth-friendly website and texting service. After assessing appropriateness of testing, clients can download a requisition form for urine-based chlamydia and gonorrhea testing and submit a sample at one of 26 laboratories across Ottawa. During year 1 of the campaign, there were 13,385 website hits and 104 specimens submitted for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing. The majority (57.6%, n=60) of requisitions were submitted by members of the target population (age 15-29). Of the requisitions submitted, 95 (91.3%) were negative, 4 (3.9%) were positive and 5 (4.8%) were cancelled due to lab errors. The campaign is reaching the target population and has demonstrated a positive impact on knowledge and intended behaviours of users. The use of technology has expanded testing options, thereby potentially broadening Ottawa Public Health's reach to clients who may be less likely to test through traditional testing approaches.

Alternative metrics for measuring the quality of articles and journals.

Alternative metrics for measuring the quality of articles and journals.

Readability analysis of internet-based patient information regarding skull base tumors

Readability is an important consideration in assessing healthcare-related literature. In order for a source of information to be the most beneficial to patients, it should be written at a level appropriate for the audience. The National Institute of Health recommends that health literature be written at a maximum level of sixth grade. This is not uniformly found in current health literature, putting patients with lower reading levels at a disadvantage. In February 2012, healthcare-oriented education resources were retrieved from websites obtained using the Google search phrase skull base tumors. Of the first 25 consecutive, unique website hits, 18 websites were found to contain information for patients. Ten different assessment scales were utilized to assess the readability of the patient-specific web pages. Patient-oriented material found online for skull base tumors was written at a significantly higher level than the reading level of the average US patient. The average reading level of this material was found to be at a minimum of eleventh grade across all ten scales. Health related material related to skull base tumors available through the internet can be improved to reach a larger audience without sacrificing the necessary information. Revisions of this material can provide significant benefit for average patients and improve their health care.

Advanced care planning metrics for stage IV cancers and strategies for improved utilisation in oncology-settings

To define Advanced Care Planning (ACP) Metrics within an oncology-specific electronic health record (EHR) in order to develop strategies to increase awareness and utilisation of Advanced Directives documentation. Descriptive statistics...

From Theater to the World Wide Web—a New Online Era for Surgical Education

Traditionally, surgical education has been confined to operating and lecture theaters. Access to the World Wide Web and services, such as YouTube and iTunes has expanded enormously. Each week throughout Ireland, nonconsultant hospital doctors work hard to create presentations for surgical teaching. Once presented, these valuable presentations are often never used again. We aimed to compile surgical presentations online and establish a new online surgical education tool. We also sought to measure the effect of this educational tool on surgical presentation quality. Surgical presentations from Cork University Hospital and Beaumont Hospital presented between January 2010 and April 2011 were uploaded to http://www.pilgrimshospital.com/presentations. A YouTube channel and iTunes application were created. Web site hits were monitored. Quality of presentations was assessed by 4 independent senior surgical judges using a validated PowerPoint assessment form. Judges were randomly given 6 presentations; 3 presentations were pre-web site setup and 3 were post-web site setup. Once uploading commenced, presenters were informed. A total of 89 presentations have been uploaded to date. This includes 55 cases, 17 journal club, and 17 short bullet presentations. This has been associated with 46,037 web site page views. Establishment of the web site was associated with a significant improvement in the quality of presentations. Mean scores for pre- and post-web site group were 6.2 vs 7.7 out of 9 respectively, p = 0.037. This novel educational tool provides a unique method to enable surgical education become more accessible to trainees, while also improving the overall quality of surgical teaching PowerPoint presentations.

Are mailouts an effective health promotion strategy? If so, for whom?

In 2008-2009 a national household mailout was undertaken across Australia by beyondblue: the national depression initiative. The aim was to raise awareness of depression and encourage people to seek more information via the beyondblue information line or website. Following the staggered dispatch of information across the country, 2051 telephone surveys were conducted to evaluate recall of the material, and calls to the beyondblue infoline and website hits were monitored. The results indicate that direct mail can be a highly effective strategy to not only promote mental health, but also encourage information and help seeking. The impact of a range of factors on recall and help-seeking behaviour is also explored. Findings reveal the impact of demographic factors whilst also highlighting the potential importance of brand recognition and perceived relevance of information when determining those most likely to recall and respond to mailouts as mental health promotion strategy.