Intensive care nurses' experiences of caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic based on an analysis of blog posts.

BACKGROUND: In 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out worldwide, leading to a pandemic. Studies have shown that COVID-19 patients in intensive care units (ICUs) require more nursing care than other patients. ICU nurses who care for patients with COVID-19 have shown signs of psychological and physical strain. AIM: The aim of this study was to illuminate ICU nurses' experiences of caring for patients with COVID-19 in ICUs during the first wave of the pandemic. STUDY DESIGN: A qualitative, descriptive and inductive approach was used. A total of 70 blog posts from 13 bloggers in the United States, Great Britain, Finland and Sweden were analysed using qualitative inductive manifest content analysis. RESULTS: The results reveal an overall theme: 'An overturned existence under extreme conditions'. Furthermore, three categories-'the virus caused changes in work and private lives', 'unreasonable demands', and to hold on to caring ideals thanks to the support of others'-and seven subcategories were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Caring for patients with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic was demanding because of a lack of knowledge about the disease and the severity of the illness. This led to ICU nurses experiencing extreme conditions that affected various aspects of their lives. Support from colleagues and teamwork were revealed to be particularly important for how nurses dealt with the demands of working during a pandemic, as was sufficient recovery time between work shifts. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Work in ICUs was challenging and demanding, even before the pandemic. This study contributes to an understanding of the complex work environment that existed in hospitals during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The knowledge obtained from this study can be used to revise working conditions and identify health interventions for ICU nurses.

Social Media Listening and Digital Profiling Study of People With Headache and Migraine: Retrospective Infodemiology Study.

BACKGROUND: There is an unmet need for a better understanding and management of headache, particularly migraine, beyond specialist centers, which may be facilitated using digital technology. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify where, when, and how people with headache and migraine describe their symptoms and the nonpharmaceutical and medicinal treatments used as indicated on social media. METHODS: Social media sources, including Twitter, web-based forums, blogs, YouTube, and review sites, were searched using a predefined search string related to headache and migraine. The real-time data from social media posts were collected retrospectively for a 1-year period from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018 (Japan), or a 2-year period from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018 (Germany and France). The data were analyzed after collection, using content analysis and audience profiling. RESULTS: A total of 3,509,828 social media posts related to headache and migraine were obtained from Japan in 1 year and 146,257 and 306,787 posts from Germany and France, respectively, in 2 years. Among social media sites, Twitter was the most used platform across these countries. Japanese sufferers used specific terminology, such as "tension headaches" or "cluster headaches" (36%), whereas French sufferers even mentioned specific migraine types, such as ocular (7%) and aura (2%). The most detailed posts on headache or migraine were from Germany. The French sufferers explicitly mentioned "headache or migraine attacks" in the "evening (41%) or morning (38%)," whereas Japanese mentioned "morning (48%) or night (27%)" and German sufferers mentioned "evening (22%) or night (41%)." The use of "generic terms" such as medicine, tablet, and pill were prevalent. The most discussed drugs were ibuprofen and naproxen combination (43%) in Japan; ibuprofen (29%) in Germany; and acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol, and caffeine combination (75%) in France. The top 3 nonpharmaceutical treatments are hydration, caffeinated beverages, and relaxation methods. Of the sufferers, 44% were between 18 and 24 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: In this digital era, social media listening studies present an opportunity to provide unguided, self-reported, sufferers' perceptions in the real world. The generation of social media evidence requires appropriate methodology to translate data into scientific information and relevant medical insights. This social media listening study showed country-specific differences in headache and migraine symptoms experienced and in the times of the day and treatments used. Furthermore, this study highlighted the prevalence of social media usage by younger sufferers compared to that by older sufferers.

How do prenatal people describe their experiences with anxiety? a qualitative analysis of blog content.

BACKGROUND: Despite elevated prevalence rates of prenatal (antenatal) anxiety across studies (13-21%), and prenatal people's use of the Internet to search for pregnancy-related information and support, research investigating prenatal people's experiences with online mental health communication, such as blogs, is lacking. This study examined blog entries focused on anxiety in pregnancy to better understand prenatal people's Internet discourse concerning their experiences with anxiety. METHODS: A Google search using the keywords "anxiety," "pregnant," and "blog" resulted in N = 18 blogs that met inclusion criteria (public blog written in English describing a personal experience with prenatal anxiety in 250 words or more). Blog content was analyzed using a thematic analytic approach based on grounded theory principles. RESULTS: Three main themes capturing prenatal people's experiences with anxiety as written in public blog content were developed from qualitative analyses: 1) etiology (subthemes: before pregnancy, during the current pregnancy, related to a previous pregnancy), 2) triggers (subthemes: uncertainty, perceived lack of control, and guilt and shame for not having a normal pregnancy), and 3) symptoms (subthemes: intertwined emotional, cognitive and physical symptoms, in addition to behavioural symptoms). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate a need for perinatal professionals to address anxiety symptoms and triggers in pregnancy. One way to address this may be by providing credible information regarding prenatal mental and physical health to pregnant people through online mediums, such as blogs. Bloggers often discussed experiencing a combination of emotional, cognitive, physical, and behavioural symptoms, which suggests that medical and mental health professionals should work collaboratively to provide care for prenatal people experiencing anxiety. Furthermore, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) addresses these types of symptoms, which suggests that interventions developed or adapted to meet this populations' needs could employ this therapeutic approach. Future research should explore the reasons why prenatal people experiencing anxiety engage with blogs, the characteristics of bloggers and readers, the impact of the blogging experience on both the blogger and their audience, and the information quality of blog content.

Exploring the Benefits of Proactive Participation among Adults and Older People by Writing Blogs.

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for information-seeking, social contact and leisure activities is increasing in adults and older people. However, little is known about adults and older people who are already actively using ICTs to write a blog. The aim of this paper is to describe the benefits adults and older people gain from having a blog. Twenty-three older adult bloggers (aged 60-83 years; most of them with college degrees and retired) from Spain who, at the time of the study had an active blog were interviewed. A thematic analysis identified four different benefits related to blogging: (1) a general sense of satisfaction from producing the blog; (2) relational benefits; (3) cognitive benefits; and (4) identity benefits. Results showed that adults and older people experienced a variety of benefits that broadens the distinction between personal and social benefits found in previous research. Blogging in later life challenges the traditional passive/consumer and online user experience view of adults and older people and seems to be a good example of proactive participation through websites.

[The medicine and blogosphere: publications review].

The article presents the review of national and foreign publications reflecting aspects of development of medical blogosphere as communication space for medical workers and patients. The methodology of content analysis was applied. The main groups of medical bloggers (doctors, patients, nurses), characteristics of the blogs content, motivation for blogosphere posting are identified. The information and communication significance of the medical blogosphere is high and topical vectors are quite diversified. The development of the medical blogosphere testifies high level of demand for information forming the content of medical blogs both in patients and in colleagues-representatives of professional community.

Contents and quality of travel tips on malaria in English and Spanish travel blogs.

BACKGROUND: Europe has about 10,000 imported cases of malaria each year, or around 80 cases per 100,000 trips to endemic areas. Non-use of chemoprophylaxis in travellers remains the main reason for this. The proliferation of online travel blogs as a source of advice (sometimes the only one used) for preparing a trip to an endemic area may play a role in the decision to use chemoprophylaxis. The aim of this study was to analyse the information offered on malaria in the main travel blogs in English and Spanish. METHODS: Five hundred travel blogs in English and 100 in Spanish, considered highly relevant were analysed. The relevance were according to different metrics: (1) Alexa Rank; (2) social networks (RRSS) measuring the total followers of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube; (3) number of monthly visits using the SEMrush tool; (4) domain authority; and (5) number of backlinks or incoming links using the SEMrush tool. RESULTS: Of the included travel blogs, 57% of those in English and 64% of those in Spanish offered information on malaria, and 79 and 75%, respectively, featured a discussion on malaria written as a blog post or in forum comments. Information on chemoprophylaxis was available in 56.1% of English-language blogs and 10.7% of Spanish-speaking blogs, while its side effects were discussed in 38.6 and 68.8%, respectively (p < 0.001). Content analysis revealed that the information was usually insufficient, incomplete or, more seriously, inaccurate. In many cases, this could discourage users from taking appropriate preventive measures. CONCLUSIONS: Travel blogs in English and Spanish provide low-quality information on malaria. The so-called "travel influencers" must communicate reliable, verified and quality information on malaria on their channels in a way that could contribute to reducing the burden of the disease in travellers.

Quality and Content of Online Patient Resources for Celiac Disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patient-directed information on celiac disease has been reported to be of variable quality. We assessed the quantity and quality of information on blogs and Web sites intended to inform the layperson of celiac disease information. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study analyzing celiac disease blogs and Web sites intended for the layperson. We searched from 20 cities, resulting in 55 Web sites. These sites were analyzed for 38 criteria that considered relevant clinical information for people with celiac disease. Claims were classified as true, false, or not proven. The readability level of each Web site was determined. RESULTS: The 55 Web sites were categorized as national organizations, personal blogs, recipe-based blogs, or commercial/marketing Web sites. Only 40% of Web sites contained more than 50% of criteria. Of 212 claims assessed, 97% were found to be accurate. National organizations included the most criteria, followed by recipe-based blogs, then personal blogs, and lastly commercial/marketing Web sites. Additionally, national organizations had the highest proportion of accurate claims, followed by personal blogs, then commercial/marketing Web sites, and recipe-based blogs with the most inaccurate information. The average readability level of overall was 9.7, above the recommended readability level for patient education materials. CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of online claims regarding celiac disease were true, but the majority of patient-facing Web sites are missing large amounts of relevant information. This warrants efforts to improve the quality of medical information published online.

"A Little Bit of Their Souls": Investigating the Concept of Dignity for People Living With Dementia Using Caregivers' Blogs.

Dignity is an important component of quality of life and a core value of family nursing care. Few studies have explored dignity in community-dwelling adults with dementia. This study used blogs written by caregivers to explore the concept of dignity in dementia caregiving. A template analysis of blogs written by family caregivers of people with dementia was conducted. Four themes were defined a priori in relation to Jacelon's model of dignity: perceived value from others, self in relation to others, behavioral respect, and self-value. Caregivers wrote about experiences that related to each of the four a priori themes from Jacelon's model. In addition, the theme of dignity by proxy was derived from the analysis. By understanding the concept of dignity in the context of dementia family caregiving, interventions and services can be developed to improve family quality of life through dignifying, family-focused care.

The BioLuminescent-OptoGenetic in vivo response to coelenterazine is proportional, sensitive, and specific in neocortex.

BioLuminescent (BL) light production can modulate neural activity and behavior through co-expressed OptoGenetic (OG) elements, an approach termed "BL-OG." Yet, the relationship between BL-OG effects and bioluminescent photon emission has not been characterized in vivo. Further, the degree to which BL-OG effects strictly depend on optogenetic mechanisms driven by bioluminescent photons is unknown. Crucial to every neuromodulation method is whether the activator shows a dynamic concentration range driving robust, selective, and nontoxic effects. We systematically tested the effects of four key components of the BL-OG mechanism (luciferin, oxidized luciferin, luciferin vehicle, and bioluminescence), and compared these against effects induced by the Luminopsin-3 (LMO3) BL-OG molecule, a fusion of slow burn Gaussia luciferase (sbGLuc) and Volvox ChannelRhodopsin-1 (VChR1). We performed combined bioluminescence imaging and electrophysiological recordings while injecting specific doses of Coelenterazine (substrate for sbGluc), Coelenteramide (CTM, the oxidized product of CTZ), or CTZ vehicle. CTZ robustly drove activity in mice expressing LMO3, with photon production proportional to firing rate. In contrast, low and moderate doses of CTZ, CTM, or vehicle did not modulate activity in mice that did not express LMO3. We also failed to find bioluminescence effects on neural activity in mice expressing an optogenetically nonsensitive LMO3 variant. We observed weak responses to the highest dose of CTZ in control mice, but these effects were significantly smaller than those observed in the LMO3 group. These results show that in neocortex in vivo, there is a large CTZ range wherein BL-OG effects are specific to its active chemogenetic mechanism.

#recovery: Understanding recovery from the lens of recovery-focused blogs posted by individuals with lived experience.

OBJECTIVE: Definitions of eating disorder (ED) recovery have primarily focused on symptom management (i.e., weight regain, reduced/absent ED behaviors, and normalized ED thoughts). Notwithstanding the importance of these approaches, there are arguably additional considerations in ED recovery. In order to get a more comprehensive understanding of recovery, it is necessary to turn to individuals with lived experience. Here, we examine how individuals with lived experience of an ED conceptualize and define recovery in narrative, recovery-focused blogs and consider how this understanding may contribute to definitions of recovery in the field. METHOD: Inductive thematic analysis was used to examine 168 blogs posted by at least 120 unique authors (95% women; 36% reporting anorexia nervosa diagnosis) to 10 moderated, ED websites. RESULTS: Results from the thematic analysis yielded seven themes: recovery as (1) existing in contrast to the ED, (2) existing in a broader context, (3) subjective, (4) a choice, (5) a complex, nonlinear process, (6) transformative, and (7) overcoming. DISCUSSION: The present findings are consistent with previous qualitative research, suggesting that recovery is multifaceted and encompasses more than just symptom management. Notably, bloggers highlighted that recovery may not be equally attainable for all individuals, citing numerous social justice issues in the conceptualization of recovery. This multifaceted and intersectional view of recovery is consistent with consumer models of recovery. We argue that a dimensional model of recovery may be a good starting framework for researchers and clinicians to develop a more comprehensive definition of recovery.

Disseminating the Foundations of Knowledge Translation and Patient Engagement Science Through the KnowledgeNudge Blog and Twitter Profile: Quantitative Descriptive Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: There is a documented need to build capacity for theory- and evidence-informed knowledge translation (KT) and patient engagement (PE) practice in health research. Dissemination of foundational content online coupled with social media promotion may build capacity by increasing awareness, knowledge, and positive attitudes. OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study sought to (1) describe exposure and engagement of the KnowledgeNudge KT and PE dissemination strategy (online blog and Twitter profile) over 2 years and (2) identify and compare characteristics of individual posts with the most and least exposure and reach. METHODS: Exposure was assessed by blog site views per month and Twitter profile impressions per month. Engagement was assessed by Twitter profile interactions per month. Descriptive statistics were calculated for 6-month blocks and compared using one-way analysis of variance or Student t test. Individual post exposure was assessed by average post views per week. Individual post reach was assessed by average post reads per week. High- and low-profile blog posts with the highest and lowest 10th percentile for exposure and reach were identified. RESULTS: A total of 99 posts and 755 tweets were published during the study period. There was a significant increase in exposure (P=.004) and reach (P<.001) during the final 6 months. Seven high-profile and 6 low-profile posts were identified. High-profile posts had a significantly greater average word count than low-profile posts (P=.003). There were no other significant differences between posts. CONCLUSIONS: The increases in KnowledgeNudge exposure and engagement offer preliminary evidence in support of this dissemination strategy for the practice of KT and PE. Variation in individual post exposure and reach warrants further exploration to tailor content to user needs. Future work will include a prospective evaluation strategy to explore the effect of KnowledgeNudge on awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.

The Node and beyond-using social media in cell and developmental biology.

Traditionally, strong scientific communities have been at least partly built around physical proximity - either by members of the same department or institute, or through regular meetings and conferences. The online environment and the rise of social media platforms now make it easier to build virtual communities of geographically dispersed people with a common interest. In this article, we explore how such networks can be nurtured, focussing on the Node - a community blog for and by developmental biologists. We also discuss the value of social media outlets like Twitter in building and maintaining scientific communities online.

Expressive innovation: How first-year college students introduced emoticons to the curriculum.

For the initiated, college may be remembered as a care-free and playful time. However, for contemporary college students the transition to college is challenging with only 1 in 3 returning for their second year of study, and the challenges are even greater for first-generation and low-income students. The interactive digital platform of the current study invited low-income first-year students to write about and reflect upon their transition to college. It was through the higher order cognitive process of writing, which involved deciding which words, symbols, and punctuation to use to express a particular thought to a particular audience, that the students made-sense of their experiences. Our analyses detail how students integrated new approaches for communicating their thoughts in writing and how these techniques changed over time. We show how first-year students used the affordances of the keyboard and an interactive blog to create a reflective and supportive digital writing style somewhere between the formality of the college essay and the freewheeling social media post. The emerging playful style was marked by the introduction of computer-mediated communication (CMC) cues typical of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, including emoticons and emojis, hashtags, repeated capital letters, repeated punctuation, and abbreviations such as lol, to the college course context. A path analysis of 209 blog posts and 161 comments over four time points, coupled with a qualitative case study showed that students developed their use of CMC cues first on the social level through comments and later on the individual level in their posts. Our analyses show how students integrated CMC cues to communicate humor and critique as they created a new genre of college writing. The social support and the CMC cues were concretely relevant to the students' development of knowledge and practice of what it meant to write in college and what it meant to become a college student.

Tied to the worldly work of writing: Parent as ethnographer.

Parent narratives have contributed to ethnographic accounts of the lives of children with autism, but there are fewer examples of parents producing their own autoethnographies. This article explores the affordances of an online blog for enabling a parent of a child with autism to produce a written record of practice which may be considered 'autoethnographic'. Richardson's framework for ethnography as Creative Analytic Process (CAP) is applied to extracts from a blog post in order to consider its contribution, reflexivity, aesthetic merit and impact. The article addresses the methodological and ethical implications of reconceptualizing parents as researchers and the potential contribution of new writing platforms to the development of auto/ethnography.

Social Media and Allergy.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Social media services dominate online consumption of information and play an ever expanding role in our lives. They are not only used to connect with friends and family but also to educate and recruit colleagues and patients, and to stay up-to-date with the new developments in the field of allergy and immunology. RECENT FINDINGS: There are known risks to social media user by health care professionals mostly related to breaches of patient confidentiality, professionalism, and privacy. Malpractice and liability risks have been linked to irresponsible use of social media. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current social media tools in allergy. We recommend a pragmatic approach to maximize social media tools for the allergy practice.

Alcohol Consumption Reduction Among a Web-Based Supportive Community Using the Hello Sunday Morning Blog Platform: Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol misuse is a major social and public health issue in Australia, with an estimated cost to the community of Aus $30 billion per annum. Until recently, a major barrier in addressing this significant public health issue is the fact that the majority of individuals with alcohol use disorders and alcohol misuse are not receiving treatment. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess whether alcohol consumption changes are associated with participation in Hello Sunday Morning's blog platform, an online forum discussing experiences in abstaining from alcohol. METHODS: The study reports on Hello Sunday Morning participants who signed up for a 3-month period of abstinence from November 2009 to November 2016. The sample comprised 1917 participants (female: 1227/1917, 64.01%; male: 690/1917, 35.99%). Main outcome measures were Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores, mood, program engagement metrics, and slip-ups. RESULTS: Individuals who reported hazardous (preprogram AUDIT mean 11.92, SD 2.25) and harmful consumption levels (preprogram AUDIT mean 17.52, SD 1.08) and who engaged in the Hello Sunday Morning program reported a significant decrease in alcohol consumption, moving to lower risk consumption levels (hazardous, mean 7.59, SD 5.70 and harmful, mean 10.38, SD 7.43), 4 months following program commencement (P<.001). Those who reported high-risk or dependent consumption levels experienced the biggest reduction (preprogram mean 25.38, SD 4.20), moving to risky consumption (mean 15.83, SD 11.11), 4 months following program commencement (P<.001). These reductions in risk were maintained by participants in each group, 7 months following program commencement. Furthermore, those who engaged in the program more (as defined by more sign-ins, blogs posted, check-ins completed, and engagement with the community through likes and following) had lower alcohol consumption. Finally, those who experienced more slip-ups had lower alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in an online forum can support long-term behavior change in individuals wishing to change their drinking behavior. Importantly, reductions in AUDIT scores appeared larger for those drinking at high-risk and hazardous levels before program commencement. This has promising implications for future models of alcohol reduction treatment, as online forums are an anonymous, accessible, and cost-effective alternative or adjunct to treatment-as-usual. Further research is needed into the specific mechanisms of change within a Web-based supportive community, as well as the role of specific mood states in predicting risky drinking behavior.

Is blogging a new form of communication in palliative health care? A qualitative research study.

AIM: To illuminate experiences of living with life-threatening diseases as described in blogs and the experience of blogging about these matters. METHODS: A secondary analysis of 21 blogs was performed. RESULTS: It was difficult for bloggers to accept what they perceived to be the unacceptable aspects of having an life-threatening disease. They searched for hope and acceptance, and tried to manage their life. They felt strengthened by supportive encounters with health professionals, relatives, friends, and from their blogging. However, they also felt that they were set aside in relation to both health professionals and relatives. CONCLUSION: These patients appreciated being able to express their feelings and received support from their readers. Even if patient blogs can be used in health care, research and education, there is a lack of research studies that have examined the benefits of using blogging for any of these purposes.

Reference to Self and Other in the Digital Public Sphere: The Case of Political Blogs.

In this paper, we analyze how a political blog author (Spanish Alejo Vidal-Quadras) establishes the reference to self and other in his blog entries. We furthermore look into how the commentators to this blog react and establish reference to self and other in the digital public sphere. More concretely, we show that they not only take up the references established by the main blog author but also create new references. These allow, on the one hand, for profiling themselves as part of a group and, on the other hand, identifying their interlocutor among the variety of possible interlocutors in the digital public sphere. By addressing different interlocutors, the commentators turn the comments section into a dialogic space, a dimension that is lacking in the main blog entries. However, the fact that they almost invariably identify interlocutors other than Vidal-Quadras but address Vidal-Quadras without explicitly identifying him, shows that Vidal-Quadras remains the main ratified interlocutor in view of his ownership of the blog. This paper shows then how participants in the digital public sphere create a complex relationship of self and other reference in political blogs.

The Search for Balance: Prolonged Uncertainty in Parent Blogs of Childhood Cancer.

Illness blogs are the online narrative expression of the experience of illness and its treatment. The purpose of the present research was to explore, describe, and analyze blog narratives created by parents during their child's cancer experience in the hope that knowledge generated would amplify the voices of these vulnerable families. The study aimed to answer this question: What themes are evident in illness blogs created by a parent when a child has cancer? The purposive sample of 14 parent blogs included publicly accessible, English language narratives that contained descriptions of life with a child who had undergone treatment for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL; five blogs analyzed) or neuroblastoma (nine blogs analyzed) in the previous 5 years or who was currently undergoing treatment for these types of cancer. Analysis resulted in discovery of new knowledge of the uncertainty inherent in daily family life during illness and treatment. The parents' vivid depictions of the quest for balance while living with prolonged uncertainty during the illness experience suggested new ways to understand experiences of parents of children with cancer.

Estimation of Economic Indicator Announced by Government From Social Big Data.

We introduce a systematic method to estimate an economic indicator from the Japanese government by analyzing big Japanese blog data. Explanatory variables are monthly word frequencies. We adopt 1352 words in the section of economics and industry of the Nikkei thesaurus for each candidate word to illustrate the economic index. From this large volume of words, our method automatically selects the words which have strong correlation with the economic indicator and resolves some difficulties in statistics such as the spurious correlation and overfitting. As a result, our model reasonably illustrates the real economy index. The announcement of an economic index from government usually has a time lag, while our proposed method can be real time.