The Impact and Applications of Social Media Platforms for Public Health Responses Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Social media platforms have numerous potential benefits and drawbacks on public health, which have been described in the literature. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed our limited knowledge regarding the potential health impact of these platforms, which have been detrimental to public health responses in many regions. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to highlight a brief history of social media in health care and report its potential negative and positive public health impacts, which have been characterized in the literature. METHODS: We searched electronic bibliographic databases including PubMed, including Medline and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Xplore, from December 10, 2015, to December 10, 2020. We screened the title and abstracts and selected relevant reports for review of full text and reference lists. These were analyzed thematically and consolidated into applications of social media platforms for public health. RESULTS: The positive and negative impact of social media platforms on public health are catalogued on the basis of recent research in this report. These findings are discussed in the context of improving future public health responses and incorporating other emerging digital technology domains such as artificial intelligence. However, there is a need for more research with pragmatic methodology that evaluates the impact of specific digital interventions to inform future health policy. CONCLUSIONS: Recent research has highlighted the potential negative impact of social media platforms on population health, as well as potentially useful applications for public health communication, monitoring, and predictions. More research is needed to objectively investigate measures to mitigate against its negative impact while harnessing effective applications for the benefit of public health.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward herpes zoster (HZ) and HZ vaccination: Concept elicitation findings from a multi-country study in the Asia Pacific.

Herpes zoster (HZ) is a prevalent disease characterized by a painful rash. A multi­country study was conducted to elicit public and physician knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward HZ disease and vaccination for the assessment of local factors influencing HZ vaccine perceptions in four Asian-Pacific countries/territories One-to-one qualitative interviews were conducted in 2022, among the public (people aged ≥ 50 years, adults with parents aged ≥ 50 years, zoster vaccine live-vaccinated individuals aged ≥ 50 years in Republic of Korea, and HZ patients; n = 78) and physicians (general practitioners and specialists; n = 24). Themes surrounding KAP toward HZ and HZ vaccination were summarized using a thematic analysis. A substantial knowledge gap related to HZ was observed among the public, including its causes, long-term impacts, and the at-risk population. There was a low perceived risk of HZ and low general awareness of HZ vaccine availability, although country/territory-specific differences existed. Fear of HZ-associated pain contributed toward vaccination intent among HZ patients and adults with parents aged ≥ 50 years. HZ-naïve adults who were encouraged to receive the vaccine by others were not motivated to do so due to optimism bias. Physicians were perceived to be a reliable source of information. However, physicians did not always proactively discuss HZ vaccination due to time constraints and a perceived need to prioritize other vaccinations including influenza and pneumococcal vaccines. Initiatives are needed to improve public awareness of HZ and its complications, in terms of overall impact on individuals and society, and highlight the important role of physicians in recommending vaccination.

Osteoporosis management by primary care physicians in Singapore: a survey on osteoporosis guidelines utilisation and barriers to care.

This study seeks to understand the knowledge/utilisation of osteoporosis guidelines among PCPs in Singapore, their confidence in and barriers to osteoporosis management. Knowledge and usage of guidelines was associated with confidence in management. Effective guideline adoption is therefore crucial. PCPs also need systemic support to overcome barriers to osteoporosis care. PURPOSE: Primary care physicians (PCPs) are at the forefront of offering osteoporosis screening and treatment. However, osteoporosis remains under-treated in primary care, despite the existence of osteoporosis clinical practice guidelines for PCPs. This study aims to determine the self-reported knowledge and utilisation of local osteoporosis guidelines and associated sociodemographic factors and to determine the confidence and barriers to osteoporosis screening and management among PCPs in Singapore. METHODS: An anonymous web-based survey was conducted. PCPs in public and private practice were invited to participate in the self-administered survey via e-mail and messaging platforms. Chi-square test was performed for bivariate analysis; multivariable logistic regression models were used for factors with p value < 0.2. RESULTS: Three hundred thirty-four complete survey datasets were processed for analysis. Two hundred fifty-one PCPs (75.1%) had read the osteoporosis guidelines. 70.5% self-reported good knowledge, and 74.9% use the guidelines. PCPs who self-reported good guideline knowledge (OR = 5.84; 2.96-11.49) and utilisation (OR = 4.54; 2.21-9.34) were more likely to perceive confidence in osteoporosis management. PCPs' perception that patients had other medical priorities during the consultation (79.3%) was the commonest barrier to screening. Limited anti-osteoporosis medication (54.1%) in the practice was a hindrance to management. Polyclinic-based PCPs frequently cited the lack of consultation time as a barrier; more systemic barriers were faced by PCPs in private practices. CONCLUSION: Most PCPs know and use the local osteoporosis guidelines. Knowledge and usage of guidelines was associated with confidence in management. Strategies to address the prevalent barriers to osteoporosis screening and management faced by PCPs are needed.

Ministry of Health Clinical Practice Guidelines: Hypertension.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has updated the clinical practice guidelines on hypertension to provide doctors and patients in Singapore with evidence-based treatment for hypertension. This article reproduces the introduction and executive summary (with recommendations from the guidelines) from the MOH clinical practice guidelines on hypertension, for the information of SMJ readers. Chapters and page numbers mentioned in the reproduced extract refer to the full text of the guidelines, which are available from the Ministry of Health website: http://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/healthprofessionalsportal/doctors/guidelines/cpg_medical.html. The recommendations should be used with reference to the full text of the guidelines. Following this article are multiple choice questions based on the full text of the guidelines.