Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Apr 29, 2023
Date Accepted: Nov 28, 2023
What web-based information is available for people with chronic pain interested in Spinal Cord Stimulation? A social listening study.
ABSTRACT
Background:
The increased availability of online medical information has encouraged chronic pain patients to seek healthcare information from multiple sources, i.e. the consultation of healthcare providers combined with web-based information. The type and quality of information that is available online is very heterogeneous. To date, there are no studies that have identified and evaluated what information is available on the web for patients with chronic pain about neuromodulation.
Objective:
Therefore, the aims of this study are to explore the type, quality, and content of online information regarding Spinal Cord Stimulation for chronic pain that is freely available online and targeted at consumers of healthcare.
Methods:
The social listening tool Awario© was used to search Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, blogs, and the web for suitable hits with “pain” and “neuromodulation” as keywords. Quality appraisal of the extracted information was performed with the DISCERN instrument. Thematic analysis through inductive coding was conducted.
Results:
The initial search identified a total of 2174 entries, of which 630 entries were eventually withheld. Patient information was mainly available through YouTube hits (70.79%). Most posts were originated in the USA (82.38%). Inductive coding revealed four main themes: (1) pain and the burden of pain, (2) neuromodulation as a treatment approach, (3) device related aspects and (4) patient benefits and testimonials of a treatment with SCS.
Conclusions:
Healthcare consumers have access to online information about SCS whereby details about the surgical procedures, the type of material, working mechanisms, risks, patient expectations, and testimonials as well as potential benefits of this therapy option are discussed. No knowledge gaps were detected in the provided information concerning this treatment option. Clinical Trial: NA
Citation
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Copyright
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