Healthcare policy on social media ignores the value of peer-to-peer support for chronic illness

Government, the NHS and professional healthcare bodies have embraced social media networks as dissemination tools but frequently overlook their potential for peer-to-peer support, according to researchers at Queen Mary University of London. The early findings form part of a major research project on social media and healthcare from QMUL's School of Linguistics, Language and Film. Dr Nelya Koteyko is Principal Investigator on the project and says that while millions of patients and people living with chronic illness use online social networks for support, "the language of official policy from healthcare providers and professional bodies rarely reflects this reality and represents social media as just another broadcast tool". Dr Koteyko and her team identified people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes as a suitable group with whom to conduct the research, and chose Facebook as the target social media network. "Life-long self-care is critical for people with diabetes, which means they have a lot to gain from asking questions, joining communities, and sharing information on networks like Facebook. This project seeks to understand how people with diabetes are using these networks and investigates whether official health service policies recognise and accommodate this shift in patient behaviour," said Dr Koteyko. As part of the project, the researchers conducted online observations and interviews with 36 people with diabetes and analysed the language of prominent diabetes-focused Facebook pages as well as over 40 recent professional and policy documents addressing the use of social media in healthcare.