Facebook Groups for the Management of Chronic Diseases

The use of Facebook groups by health care researchers and professionals for chronic disease management, namely type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease, is in its early stages and challenges are emerging. While Facebook groups offer great potential to deliver health support, research of F...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical Internet research 2018-01, Vol.20 (1), p.e21-e21
Main Authors: Partridge, Stephanie R, Gallagher, Patrick, Freeman, Becky, Gallagher, Robyn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular diseases
Chronic illnesses
Coronary artery disease
Disease management
Health care
Infancy
Mass media
Medical personnel
Medical research
Older people
Patients
Peer tutoring
Privacy
Professionals
Social media
Social networks
Social research
Social support
Support groups
Telemedicine
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
User behavior
Verbal communication
Viewpoint
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Summary:The use of Facebook groups by health care researchers and professionals for chronic disease management, namely type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease, is in its early stages and challenges are emerging. While Facebook groups offer great potential to deliver health support, research of Facebook groups for chronic disease management remains in its infancy, with robust evidence not yet available. Designing Facebook groups that are acceptable to users, health care researchers as well as health care professionals is a challenge, and there is a poor fit with traditional research and evaluation methods. Key recommendations for future research of Facebook groups for chronic disease management include: (1) iterative content development with input from the target patient population; (2) further understanding of the potential role of group "champions"; (3) ensuring the social media policies of health care institutions allow for real time online communication; and (4) utilizing comprehensive evaluation strategies, including the use of process evaluations.
ISSN:1438-8871
1439-4456
1438-8871
DOI:10.2196/jmir.7558