142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

315770
Virtual Support Groups Add Dimension to Patient Experience

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 12:50 PM - 1:10 PM

Nancy L. Atkinson, PhD , Westat, Rockville, MD
The purpose of this panel presentation is to describe the potential of virtual support groups to promote patient information seeking and improve self-care, decision making, and clinical trial involvement.  Also called “online patient communities,” virtual support groups have increased along with the proliferation of social media channels and take many forms, including: stand alone, dedicated, general, specific, free, and fee based.  Clinicians have been concerned about the unintended consequences of virtual support groups, such as to possibility that patients will receive incorrect information or advice and act on it inappropriately. Current evidence is showing that these groups have become more sophisticated and activated and are offering a wide range of support, and it is often more useful than what is available from their healthcare providers. In addition, virtual support groups can serve as a conduit to research.  Interested researchers can gain access to these communities online and engage them in survey research and disseminate information on clinical trial opportunities.  Online discussion forums provide rich qualitative data to researchers seeking to better understand the patient experience.  In addition, patients are also self-organizing and forming learning communities in which they discuss research opportunities and ask and answer their own research questions.  Case examples and implications for working and networking with virtual support groups will be discussed.

Learning Areas:

Communication and informatics

Learning Objectives:
Describe the variety of virtual support groups available to patients and caregivers. Identify common misconceptions about online patient communities among health care providers. Identify benefits for patients and caregivers beyond typical social support mechanisms. Discuss potential of virtual support groups to expand opportunities for patients to become engaged in as well as initiate their own research.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have a broad background in psychology, health education, community-based participatory research, and consumer health information technology with specific training and expertise in key areas for this presentation. I have conducted several research projects related to patient-centered care and community health and the meaningful application of health information technology to support positive health behavior and decision making.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.