Purpose Of Review: Diabetes is a chronic disease that, regardless of type, requires intensive, ongoing self-management. As a result, people with diabetes (PWD) often have complex environmental, social, behavioral, and informational needs, many of which are unmet in healthcare settings and systems. To help meet these needs, many PWD interact with diabetes online communities (DOCs), including platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, to share real-life support, problems, and concerns with other PWD, offering a rich source of data on patient-reported outcomes. This article reviews recent psychosocial needs and outcomes identified by studies of DOCs and/or their users.
Recent Findings: Participation in DOCs appears driven by a need for psychosocial support, unmet by providers and the healthcare system, as well as a sense of duty to provide it to others. The most common activities observed in DOCs are giving and receiving various types of support: psychosocial, technical, informational, and self-management. General and specific challenges (e.g., continuous glucose monitoring) as well as frustrations and worries associated with those challenges are commonly expressed, leading to reciprocal sharing, support, and encouragement, in a judgment-free manner, from other PWD. This leads users to feel more understood, empowered, validated, less alone, and more supported. Negative findings were reported very rarely and focused more on how other participants used social media rather than on the exchange of misplaced or dangerous information or advice. Diabetes online communities have grown from unmet needs for problem-solving and psychosocial support for living with a complex condition and from the availability of a new communications medium (i.e., social media). This has enabled communities of peers to both seek and receive support for living with diabetes, providing an important supplement to what is provided in healthcare settings and offering valuable information about what is most important to PWD and their families, with the potential to improve psychosocial care.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11892-020-1294-3 | DOI Listing |
MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs
October 2024
Judy A. Beal is a Professor and Dean Emerita in the College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences at Simmons University, Boston, MA, and an Editorial Board member of MCN. Dr. Beal can be reached at
J Athl Train
December 2024
‡Department of Athletic Training, A.T. Still University, Mesa, AZ.
Context: Athletic trainers (ATs) are in a unique position to mitigate the negative impact of social determinants of health (SDH) in their patients. In the secondary school setting, understanding common SDH may inform strategies that reduce these impacts. However, little is known about the types of SDH that ATs observe in patients in this setting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJMIR Infodemiology
December 2024
Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Background: Understanding advocacy strategies is essential to improving dementia awareness, reducing stigma, supporting cognitive health promotion, and influencing policy to support people living with dementia. However, there is a dearth of evidence-based research on advocacy strategies used to support dementia awareness.
Objective: This study aimed to use posts from X (formerly known as Twitter) to understand dementia advocacy strategies during World Alzheimer's Awareness Month in September 2022.
J Am Geriatr Soc
December 2024
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift from in-person to virtual recruitment, prompting residency and fellowship programs to adopt innovative strategies, such as leveraging social media platforms to attract applicants and enhance visibility. Our aim was to identify and describe the presence of U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNurs Rep
December 2024
Institute of Health and Sports Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba-City 305-8574, Ibaraki, Japan.
Background/objectives: This study investigates the challenges faced by family caregivers of individuals with dementia in Japan, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 500 family caregivers of patients with dementia.
Results: 56.
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