News and misinformation consumption: A temporal comparison across European countries.

The Internet and social media have transformed the information landscape, democratizing content access and production. While making information easily accessible, these platforms can also act as channels for spreading misinformation, posing crucial societal challenges. To address this, understanding news consumption patterns and unraveling the complexities of the online information environment are essential. Previous studies highlight polarization and misinformation in online discussions, but many focus on specific topics or contexts, often overlooking comprehensive cross-country and cross-topic analyses. However, the dynamics of debates, misinformation prevalence, and the efficacy of countermeasures are intrinsically tied to socio-cultural contexts. This work aims to bridge this gap by exploring information consumption patterns across four European countries over three years. Analyzing the Twitter activity of news outlets in France, Germany, Italy, and the UK, this study seeks to shed light on how topics of European significance resonate across these nations and the role played by misinformation sources. The results spotlight that while reliable sources predominantly shape the information landscape, unreliable content persists across all countries and topics. Though most users favor trustworthy sources, a small percentage predominantly consumes content from questionable sources, with even fewer maintaining a mixed information diet. The cross-country comparison unravels disparities in audience overlap among news sources, the prevalence of misinformation, and the proportion of users relying on questionable sources. Such distinctions surface not only across countries but also within various topics. These insights underscore the pressing need for tailored studies, crucial in designing targeted and effective countermeasures against misinformation and extreme polarization in the digital space.

Oncology patients' willingness to report their medication safety concerns from home: a qualitative study.

PURPOSE: Oncology patients often struggle to manage their medications and related adverse events during transitions of care. They are expected to take an active role in self-monitoring and timely reporting of their medication safety events or concerns to clinicians. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors influencing oncology patients' willingness to report adverse events or concerns related to their medication after their transitions back home. METHODS: A qualitative interview study was conducted with adult patients with breast, prostate, lung, or colorectal cancer who experienced care transitions within the previous year. A semi-structured interview guide was developed to understand patients' perceptions of reporting mediation-related safety events or concerns from home. All interviews were conducted via phone calls, recorded, and transcribed for thematic data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 41 individuals participated in the interviews. Three main themes and six subthemes emerged, including patients' perceived relationship with clinicians (the quality of communication and trust in clinicians), perceived severity of adverse medication events (perceived severe vs. non-severe events), and patient activation in self-management (self-efficacy in self-management and engagement in monitoring health outcomes). CONCLUSION: The patient-clinician relationship significantly affects patients' reporting behaviors, which can potentially interact with other factors, including the severity of adverse events. It is important to engage oncology patients in medication safety self-reporting from home by enhancing health communication, understanding patients' perceptions of severe events, and promoting patient activation. By addressing these efforts, healthcare providers should adopt a more patient-centered approach to enhance the overall quality and safety of oncological care.

School nurses and menstrual communication: Destigmatizing the stigma among adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to understand how school nurses, often the first line of defense for menstruating adolescents, use communication to assist adolescents in destigmatizing menstruation. DESIGN: I conducted semi-structured narrative interviews with nine nurses employed in a large school district in Northeast Indiana. METHODS: Interviews were coded, categorized, and used a phronetic iterative approach. RESULTS: Analysis determines that nurses assist menstruating students using steps toward accepting menstruation and suggesting ways to avoid menstrual stigmatization. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that school nurses use positive language to assist students in handling their menstruation problems, develop allyships with parents and other teachers, and stress menstrual education. This study highlights the need for more funding for menstrual products and additional school nurses.

Does a perceptual gap lead to actions against digital misinformation? A third-person effect study among medical students.

BACKGROUND: We are making progress in the fight against health-related misinformation, but mass participation and active engagement are far from adequate. Focusing on pre-professional medical students with above-average medical knowledge, our study examined whether and how third-person perceptions (TPP), which hypothesize that people tend to perceive media messages as having a greater effect on others than on themselves, would motivate their actions against misinformation. METHODS: We collected the cross-sectional data through a self-administered paper-and-pencil survey of 1,500 medical students in China during April 2022. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, showed that TPP was negatively associated with medical students' actions against digital misinformation, including rebuttal of misinformation and promotion of corrective information. However, self-efficacy and collectivism served as positive predictors of both actions. Additionally, we found professional identification failed to play a significant role in influencing TPP, while digital misinformation self-efficacy was found to broaden the third-person perceptual gap and collectivism tended to reduce the perceptual bias significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Our study contributes both to theory and practice. It extends the third-person effect theory by moving beyond the examination of restrictive actions and toward the exploration of corrective and promotional actions in the context of misinformation., It also lends a new perspective to the current efforts to counter digital misinformation; involving pre-professionals (in this case, medical students) in the fight.

Co-creation of a toolkit to assist risk communication and clinical decision-making in severe preeclampsia: SPOT-Impact study design.

Globally, the incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, especially preeclampsia, remains high, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The burden of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes is particularly high for women who develop a hypertensive disorder remote from term (<34 weeks). In parallel, many women have a suboptimal experience of care. To improve the quality of care in terms of provision and experience, there is a need to support the communication of risks and making of treatment decision in ways that promote respectful maternity care. Our study objective is to co-create a tool(kit) to support clinical decision-making, communication of risks and shared decision-making in preeclampsia with relevant stakeholders, incorporating respectful maternity care, justice, and equity principles. This qualitative study detailing the exploratory phase of co-creation takes place over 17 months (Nov 2021-March 2024) in the Greater Accra and Eastern Regions of Ghana. Informed by ethnographic observations of care interactions, in-depth interviews and focus group and group discussions, the tool(kit) will be developed with survivors and women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and their families, health professionals, policy makers, and researchers. The tool(kit) will consist of three components: quantitative predicted risk (based on external validated risk models or absolute risk of adverse outcomes), risk communication, and shared decision-making support. We expect to co-create a user-friendly tool(kit) to improve the quality of care for women with preeclampsia remote from term which will contribute to better maternal and perinatal health outcomes as well as better maternity care experience for women in Ghana.

Adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes is high for women who develop preeclampsia remote from term (<34 weeks). To improve the quality of provision and experience of care, there is a need to support communication of risks and treatment decisions that promotes respectful maternity care.This article describes the methodology deployed to cocreate a user-friendly tool(kit) to support risk communication and shared decision-making in the context of severe preeclampsia in a low resource setting.

Risk communication in cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: Risk communication is an integral aspect of shared decision-making and evidence-based patient choice. There is currently no recommended way of communicating risks and benefits of cataract surgery to patients. This study aims to investigate whether the way this information is presented influences patients' perception of how risky surgery will be. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Two-arm parallel randomised study and patients referred for cataract surgery were assigned to receive information framed either positively (99% chance of no adverse effects) or negatively (1% chance of adverse effects). Subsequently, patients rated their perceived risk of experiencing surgical side effects on a 1-6 scale. RESULTS: This study included 100 patients, 50 in each study group. Median (IQR) risk perception was 2 (1-2) in the positive framing group and 3 (1-3) in the negative framing group (p<0.0001). Risk framing was the only factor that was significant in risk perception, with no differences found by other patient clinical or demographic characteristics. CONCLUSION: Patients who received positive framing reported lower risk scores for cataract surgery than patients who received negative framing. Patient factors were not identified as significant determinants in patients' perceived risk. Larger longitudinal studies are warranted to further investigate.

Disaster management - preparation and planning for acute care facilities.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Both human-derived and naturally-occurring disasters stress the surge capacity of health systems and acute care facilities. In this article, we review recent literature related to having a disaster plan, facility planning principles, institutional and team preparedness, the concept of surge capacity, simulation exercises and advantages and disadvantages of each. RECENT FINDINGS: Evidence suggests that every institution should have a disaster plan and a dedicated team responsible for updating this plan. The disaster plan must be people-oriented and incorporate different perspectives and opinions so that all stakeholders feel included and can contribute to a joint response. Simulation exercises are fundamental for preparation so that the team functions seamlessly in uncommon times when disaster management transitions from a theoretical plan to one that is executed in real time. Notably, however, there are significantly different realities related to disaster management between countries and even within the same country or region. Unfortunately, key stakeholders such as hospital administration, board of directors and investors often do not believe they have any responsibility related to disaster management planning or response. Additionally, while a disaster plan often exists within an institution, it is frequently not well known or understood by many stakeholders. Communication, simple plans and well defined roles are some of the most important characteristics of a successful response. In extreme circumstances, adapting civilian facilities to manage high-volume warfare-related injuries may be adopted, but the consequences of this approach for routine healthcare within a system can be devastating. SUMMARY: Disaster management requires careful planning with input from multiple stakeholders and a plan that is frequently updated with repeated preparation to ensure the team is ready when a disaster occurs. Close communication as well as clearly defined roles are critical to success when transitioning from preparation to activation and execution of a disaster response.

The experience of surgical cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic at a large cancer centre in London.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on the experiences of patients across all health disciplines, especially those of cancer patients. The study aimed to understand the experiences of cancer patients who underwent surgery during the first two waves of the pandemic at Guy's Cancer Centre, which is a large tertiary cancer centre in London. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach was adopted for this study. Firstly, a survey was co-designed by the research team and a patient study group. Patients who underwent surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic were invited to take part in this survey. Results were analysed descriptively. Three discussion groups were then conducted to focus on the main themes from the survey findings: communication, COVID-19 risk management and overall experience. These discussion groups were transcribed verbatim and underwent a thematic analysis using the NVivo software package. RESULTS: Out of 1657 patients invited, a total of 250 (15%) participants took part in the survey with a mean age of 66 (SD 12.8) and 52% females. The sample was representative of a wide range of tumour sites and was reflective of those invited to take part. Overall, the experience of the cancer patients was positive. They felt that the safety protocols implemented at the hospital were effective. Communication was considered key, and patients were receptive to a change in the mode of communication from in-person to virtual. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the immense challenges faced by our Cancer Centre, patients undergoing surgery during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic had a generally positive experience with minimal disruptions to their planned surgery and ongoing care. Together with the COVID-19 safety precautions, effective communication between the clinical teams and the patients helped the overall patient experience during their surgical treatment.

Understanding family functioning in mothers and daughters with obesity.

PURPOSE: This study sought to understand family functioning surrounding weight in Mexican American women with obesity. METHODS: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with mothers and adult daughters (N = 116). RESULTS: Thematic analysis identified five themes. 1) The communication process drives perception of supportive messages. Messages perceived as non-supportive consist of directives as interventions, confirmation of faults, and critical compliments whereas supportive consist of compliments, encouragement, empathetic listening, and disclosure. 2) Acculturation differences interfere with intergenerational alliance. Differences involve dissonance in communication, behavioural expectations, and weight-related practices. 3) Maladaptive conflict responses contribute to relational strain. These responses include avoidance, withdrawal, and defensiveness. 4) Role transformations alter the generational hierarchical relationship. Daughters serve as role models, caregivers, or collaborators. 5) Low communal coping heightens psychological distress. It does so by challenging family roles, increasing social isolation, and compromising social support. CONCLUSION: Obesity interventions for Mexican American women may benefit from targeting relational skills to improve family functioning.

Healthcare and social care professionals' experiences of respite care: a critical incident study.

INTRODUCTION: Aging in place is favoured among older persons and supported by research in Sweden, although it poses challenges for overburdened informal caregivers. While respite care can offer support, its accessibility is hindered by organizational challenges and informal caregivers' delays in using it. The experiences of informal caregivers are well-studied, but the professionals' experiences of respite care quality and critical incident management are underexplored. AIM: To explore professionals' experiences of critical incidents in respite care, consequences for the persons being cared for, and strategies to manage critical incidents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative, critical incident technique was used, and three group interviews with a total of 16 professionals were conducted. RESULTS: Barriers to quality respite care included communication gaps during care transitions, environmental shortcomings in respite care facilities, lack of support for informal caregivers, and inadequacies in respite care decisions. Strategies to manage critical incidents included individualized care, continuity and communication in care transitions, a conducive environment, support for informal caregivers, and care professionals' positive approach. CONCLUSIONS: The study emphasizes the need for focused efforts on communication, continuity, and a supportive environment. Addressing identified challenges and applying suggested strategies will be key to maximizing the potential of respite care as a vital support for care recipients and their informal caregivers.

Communication and Social Determinants of Cancer Preventive Behaviors in Adolescents From Low Socio-Economic Backgrounds in India: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PURPOSE: Promoting cancer preventive behaviors among adolescents, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, is crucial due to the significant impact of health behaviors in adolescence on disease risk in adulthood. With India witnessing a rise in cancer incidence and mortality, adolescence becomes a pivotal stage for establishing healthy habits, emphasizing the need for early cancer prevention efforts. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used survey data from 2242 adolescents attending public schools of Mumbai, India. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to determine the associations between cancer preventive behaviors and: (1) the individual and social determinants of health, and (2) media exposure. FINDINGS: Merely 21.5% of the adolescents ate fruits and vegetables daily, 50% of the adolescents exercised 3 or more times a week, and 20% of the adolescents admitted having used tobacco and/or supari. Girls were found to have lower odds of exercising, as well as using tobacco and/or supari. Wealth and father's education were positively associated with all 3 cancer preventive behaviors. Media exposure was negatively associated, with television exposure linked to reduced fruits and vegetables consumption, while movies and social media exposure were associated with increased tobacco and/or supari use. INTERPRETATION: Our findings suggest that individual and social determinants of health and media exposure can influence cancer preventive health behaviors in low socio-economic status (SES) adolescents. Efforts to increase awareness to promote cancer preventive behaviors among the adolescents, particularly low SES adolescents, a population more vulnerable to poor health outcomes, is critical.

This study investigates factors that can influence cancer preventive behaviors among low socioeconomic status (SES) adolescents, focusing on dietary habits, physical activity, and avoidance of tobacco and areca nut. Our study gathered data from an underrepresented population of India, which is more vulnerable to poor health outcomes and have less access to health care. Our findings can alert public health officials, policy makers and non-governmental organizations to target this population and customize their intervention strategies to promote health and prevent cancer.

Family Medicine Clinician Screening and Barriers to Communication on Food Insecurity: A CERA General Membership Survey.

PURPOSE: Food insecurity (FI) is a hidden epidemic associated with worsening health outcomes affecting 33.8 million people in the US in 2021. Although studies demonstrate the importance of health care clinician assessment of a patient's food insecurity, little is known about whether Family Medicine clinicians (FMC) discuss FI with patients and what barriers influence their ability to communicate about FI. This study evaluated FM clinicians' food insecurity screening practices to evaluate screening disparities and identify barriers that influence the decision to communicate about FI. METHODS: Data were gathered and analyzed as part of the 2022 Council of Academic Family Medicine's Educational Research Alliance survey of Family Medicine general membership. RESULTS: The majority of respondents reported (66.9%) that their practice has a screening system for food insecurity, and most practices used a verbal screen with staff other than the clinician (41%) at specific visits (63.8%). Clinicians reported "rarely or never asking about FI" 40% of the time and only asking "always or frequently" 6.7% of the time. Inadequate time during appointments (44.5%) and other medical issues taking priority (29.4%) were identified as the most common barriers. The lack of resources available in the community was a significant barrier for clinicians who worked in rural areas. CONCLUSIONS: This survey provides insight into food insecurity screening disparities and identifies obstacles to FMC screening, such as time constraints, lack of resources, and knowledge of available resources. Understanding current communication practices could create opportunities for interventions to identify food insecurity and impact "Food as Medicine."

Effects of on-site Supportive Communication Training (On-site SCT) on doctor-patient communication in oncology: Study protocol of a randomized, controlled mixed-methods trial.

BACKGROUND: The quality of communication in oncology significantly impacts patients' health outcomes, as poor communication increases the risk of unnecessary treatment, inadequate pain relief, higher anxiety levels, and acute hospitalizations. Additionally, ineffective communication skills training (CST) is associated with stress, low job satisfaction, and burnout among doctors working in oncology. While acknowledging the importance of effective communication, the specific features of successful CST remain uncertain. Role-play and recorded consultations with direct feedback appear promising for CST but may be time-consuming and face challenges in transferring acquired skills to clinical contexts. Our aim is to bridge this gap by proposing a novel approach: On-site Supportive Communication Training (On-site SCT). The concept integrates knowledge from previous studies but represents the first randomized controlled trial employing actual doctor-patient interactions during CST. METHODS: This randomized multicenter trial is conducted at three departments of oncology in Denmark. Doctors are randomized 1:1 to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group involves participation in three full days of On-site SCT facilitated by a trained psychologist. On-site SCT focuses on imparting communication techniques, establishing a reflective learning environment, and offering emotional support with a compassionate mindset. The primary endpoint is the change in percentage of items rated "excellent" by the patients in the validated 15-item questionnaire Communication Assessment Tool. The secondary endpoints are changes in doctors' ratings of self-efficacy in health communication, burnout, and job satisfaction measured by validated questionnaires. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with the doctors after the intervention to evaluate its relevance, feasibility, and working mechanisms. Doctors have been actively recruited during summer/autumn 2023. Baseline questionnaires from patients have been collected. Recruitment of new patients for evaluation questionnaires is scheduled for Q1-Q2 2024. DISCUSSION: This trial aims to quantify On-site SCT efficacy. If it significantly impacts patients/doctors, it can be a scalable CST concept for clinical practice. Additionally, qualitative interviews will reveal doctors' insight into the most comprehensible curriculum parts. TRIAL REGISTRATION: April 2023 - ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05842083). April 2023 - The Research Ethics Committee at the University of Southern Denmark (23/19397).

Examining the Language and Communication Factors of a Deaf Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder from an Immigrant Korean Family.

Extant research on learners who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing with disabilities who come from Asian immigrant families is extremely sparse. The authors conducted an intrinsic case study of a deaf student with autism who comes from a Korean immigrant family. To acquire a comprehensive understanding of language and communication characteristics, they analyzed (a) interview data of three administrators who worked with the student and family and (b) school documents/reports issued to the parents. Themes are reported across the three components of the tri-focus framework (Siegel-Causey & Bashinski, 1997): the learner, partner, and environment. Implications for practitioners who work with these learners and their families are discussed, including (a) compiling an individualized language and communication profile that encompasses the framework; (b) utilizing culturally and linguistically responsive practices with the family; (c) practicing interprofessional collaboration; and (d) modifying physical and social environments to increase accessibility.

Time estimates in prognostic discussions: A conversation analytic study of hospice multidisciplinary team meetings.

BACKGROUND: Recommendations state that multidisciplinary team expertise should be utilised for more accurate survival predictions. How the multidisciplinary team discusses prognoses during meetings and how they reference time, is yet to be explored. AIM: To explore how temporality is conveyed in relation to patients' prognoses during hospice multidisciplinary team meetings. DESIGN: Video-recordings of 24 hospice multidisciplinary team meetings were transcribed and analysed using Conversation Analysis. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: A total of 65 staff participating in multidisciplinary team meetings in a UK hospice from May to December 2021. RESULTS: Team members conveyed temporality in three different ways. (i) Staff stated that a patient was dying as part of the patient's current health status. These formulations did not include a time reference per se but described the patient's current situation (as dying) instead. (ii) Staff used specific time period references where another specific reference had been provided previously that somehow constrained the timeframe. In these cases, the prognosis would conflict with other proposed care plans. (iii) Staff members used unspecific time period references where the reference appeared vague and there was greater uncertainty about when the patient was expected to die. CONCLUSIONS: Unspecific time period references are sufficient for achieving meaningful prognostic talk in multidisciplinary teams. In-depth discussion and accurate prediction of patient prognoses are not deemed a priority nor a necessity of these meetings. Providing precise predictions may be too difficult due to uncertainty and accountability. The lack of staff pursuing more specific time references implies shared knowledge between staff and a context-specific use of prognostic estimates.

Nudge-based misinformation interventions are effective in information environments with low misinformation prevalence.

Nudge-based misinformation interventions are presented as cheap and effective ways to reduce the spread of misinformation online. However, despite online information environments typically containing relatively low volumes of misinformation, most studies testing the effectiveness of nudge interventions present equal proportions of true and false information. As the effectiveness of nudges can be highly context-dependent, it is imperative to validate the effectiveness of nudge-based interventions in environments with more realistic proportions of misinformation. The current study (N = 1387) assessed the effectiveness of a combined accuracy and social-norm nudge in simulated social-media environments with varying proportions of misinformation (50%, 20%, and 12.5%) relative to true and non-news-based (i.e., "social") information. The nudge intervention was effective at improving sharing discernment in conditions with lower proportions of misinformation, providing ecologically valid support for the use of nudge-based interventions to counter misinformation propagation on social media.

Enhancing aspect-based multi-labeling with ensemble learning for ethical logistics.

In the dynamic domain of logistics, effective communication is essential for streamlined operations. Our innovative solution, the Multi-Labeling Ensemble (MLEn), tackles the intricate task of extracting multi-labeled data, employing advanced techniques for accurate preprocessing of textual data through the NLTK toolkit. This approach is carefully tailored to the prevailing language used in logistics communication. MLEn utilizes innovative methods, including sentiment intensity analysis, Word2Vec, and Doc2Vec, ensuring comprehensive feature extraction. This proves particularly suitable for logistics in e-commerce, capturing nuanced communication essential for efficient operations. Ethical considerations are a cornerstone in logistics communication, and MLEn plays a pivotal role in detecting and categorizing inappropriate language, aligning inherently with ethical norms. Leveraging Tf-IDF and Vader for feature enhancement, MLEn adeptly discerns and labels ethically sensitive content in logistics communication. Across diverse datasets, including Emotions, MLEn consistently achieves impressive accuracy levels ranging from 92% to 97%, establishing its superiority in the logistics context. Particularly, our proposed method, DenseNet-EHO, outperforms BERT by 8% and surpasses other techniques by a 15-25% efficiency. A comprehensive analysis, considering metrics such as precision, recall, F1-score, Ranking Loss, Jaccard Similarity, AUC-ROC, sensitivity, and time complexity, underscores DenseNet-EHO's efficiency, aligning with the practical demands within the logistics track. Our research significantly contributes to enhancing precision, diversity, and computational efficiency in aspect-based sentiment analysis within logistics. By integrating cutting-edge preprocessing, sentiment intensity analysis, and vectorization, MLEn emerges as a robust framework for multi-label datasets, consistently outperforming conventional approaches and giving outstanding precision, accuracy, and efficiency in the logistics field.

TikTok as a Source of Health Information and Misinformation for Young Women in the United States: Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: TikTok is one of the most-used and fastest-growing social media platforms in the world, and recent reports indicate that it has become an increasingly popular source of news and information in the United States. These trends have important implications for public health because an abundance of health information exists on the platform. Women are among the largest group of TikTok users in the United States and may be especially affected by the dissemination of health information on TikTok. Prior research has shown that women are not only more likely to look for information on the internet but are also more likely to have their health-related behaviors and perceptions affected by their involvement with social media. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a survey of young women in the United States to better understand their use of TikTok for health information as well as their perceptions of TikTok's health information and health communication sources. METHODS: A web-based survey of US women aged 18 to 29 years (N=1172) was conducted in April-May 2023. The sample was recruited from a Qualtrics research panel and 2 public universities in the United States. RESULTS: The results indicate that the majority of young women in the United States who have used TikTok have obtained health information from the platform either intentionally (672/1026, 65.5%) or unintentionally (948/1026, 92.4%). Age (959/1026, 93.47%; r=0.30; P<.001), education (959/1026, 93.47%; ρ=0.10; P=.001), and TikTok intensity (ie, participants' emotional connectedness to TikTok and TikTok's integration into their daily lives; 959/1026, 93.47%; r=0.32; P<.001) were positively correlated with overall credibility perceptions of the health information. Nearly the entire sample reported that they think that misinformation is prevalent on TikTok to at least some extent (1007/1026, 98.15%), but a third-person effect was found because the young women reported that they believe that other people are more susceptible to health misinformation on TikTok than they personally are (t1025=21.16; P<.001). Both health professionals and general users were common sources of health information on TikTok: 93.08% (955/1026) of the participants indicated that they had obtained health information from a health professional, and 93.86% (963/1026) indicated that they had obtained health information from a general user. The respondents showed greater preference for health information from health professionals (vs general users; t1025=23.75; P<.001); the respondents also reported obtaining health information from health professionals more often than from general users (t1025=8.13; P<.001), and they were more likely to act on health information from health professionals (vs general users; t1025=12.74; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that health professionals and health communication scholars need to proactively consider using TikTok as a platform for disseminating health information to young women because young women are obtaining health information from TikTok and prefer information from health professionals.

Stakeholder perspectives on contributors to delayed and inaccurate diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and their implications for digital health technologies: a UK-based qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to understand stakeholder experiences of diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) to support the development of technological solutions that meet current needs. Specifically, we aimed to identify challenges in the process of diagnosing CVD, to identify discrepancies between patient and clinician experiences of CVD diagnosis, and to identify the requirements of future health technology solutions intended to improve CVD diagnosis. DESIGN: Semistructured focus groups and one-to-one interviews to generate qualitative data that were subjected to thematic analysis. PARTICIPANTS: UK-based individuals (N=32) with lived experience of diagnosis of CVD (n=23) and clinicians with experience in diagnosing CVD (n=9). RESULTS: We identified four key themes related to delayed or inaccurate diagnosis of CVD: symptom interpretation, patient characteristics, patient-clinician interactions and systemic challenges. Subthemes from each are discussed in depth. Challenges related to time and communication were greatest for both stakeholder groups; however, there were differences in other areas, for example, patient experiences highlighted difficulties with the psychological aspects of diagnosis and interpreting ambiguous symptoms, while clinicians emphasised the role of individual patient differences and the lack of rapport in contributing to delays or inaccurate diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight key considerations when developing digital technologies that seek to improve the efficiency and accuracy of diagnosis of CVD.