Social media and internet search data to inform drug utilization: A systematic scoping review
IntroductionDrug utilization is currently assessed through traditional data sources such as big electronic medical records (EMRs) databases, surveys, and medication sales. Social media and internet data have been reported to provide more accessible and more timely access to medications' utiliza...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Digital Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1074961/full |
| _version_ | 1797867166367744000 |
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| author | Roman Keller Roman Keller Roman Keller Alessandra Spanu Milo Alan Puhan Antoine Flahault Christian Lovis Christian Lovis Margot Mütsch Raphaelle Beau-Lejdstrom Raphaelle Beau-Lejdstrom |
| author_facet | Roman Keller Roman Keller Roman Keller Alessandra Spanu Milo Alan Puhan Antoine Flahault Christian Lovis Christian Lovis Margot Mütsch Raphaelle Beau-Lejdstrom Raphaelle Beau-Lejdstrom |
| author_sort | Roman Keller |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionDrug utilization is currently assessed through traditional data sources such as big electronic medical records (EMRs) databases, surveys, and medication sales. Social media and internet data have been reported to provide more accessible and more timely access to medications' utilization.ObjectiveThis review aims at providing evidence comparing web data on drug utilization to other sources before the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe searched Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus until November 25th, 2019, using a predefined search strategy. Two independent reviewers conducted screening and data extraction.ResultsOf 6,563 (64%) deduplicated publications retrieved, 14 (0.2%) were included. All studies showed positive associations between drug utilization information from web and comparison data using very different methods. A total of nine (64%) studies found positive linear correlations in drug utilization between web and comparison data. Five studies reported association using other methods: One study reported similar drug popularity rankings using both data sources. Two studies developed prediction models for future drug consumption, including both web and comparison data, and two studies conducted ecological analyses but did not quantitatively compare data sources. According to the STROBE, RECORD, and RECORD-PE checklists, overall reporting quality was mediocre. Many items were left blank as they were out of scope for the type of study investigated.ConclusionOur results demonstrate the potential of web data for assessing drug utilization, although the field is still in a nascent period of investigation. Ultimately, social media and internet search data could be used to get a quick preliminary quantification of drug use in real time. Additional studies on the topic should use more standardized methodologies on different sets of drugs in order to confirm these findings. In addition, currently available checklists for study quality of reporting would need to be adapted to these new sources of scientific information. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T23:35:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2f17a14eb52549f5acb64c23d3d6d955 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-253X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T23:35:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Digital Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-2f17a14eb52549f5acb64c23d3d6d9552023-03-20T05:49:59ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Digital Health2673-253X2023-03-01510.3389/fdgth.2023.10749611074961Social media and internet search data to inform drug utilization: A systematic scoping reviewRoman Keller0Roman Keller1Roman Keller2Alessandra Spanu3Milo Alan Puhan4Antoine Flahault5Christian Lovis6Christian Lovis7Margot Mütsch8Raphaelle Beau-Lejdstrom9Raphaelle Beau-Lejdstrom10Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandFuture Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, SingaporeSaw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandInstitute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Geneva, SwitzerlandDivision of Medical Information Sciences, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, SwitzerlandDepartment of Radiology and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, SwitzerlandEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandInstitute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Geneva, SwitzerlandIntroductionDrug utilization is currently assessed through traditional data sources such as big electronic medical records (EMRs) databases, surveys, and medication sales. Social media and internet data have been reported to provide more accessible and more timely access to medications' utilization.ObjectiveThis review aims at providing evidence comparing web data on drug utilization to other sources before the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe searched Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus until November 25th, 2019, using a predefined search strategy. Two independent reviewers conducted screening and data extraction.ResultsOf 6,563 (64%) deduplicated publications retrieved, 14 (0.2%) were included. All studies showed positive associations between drug utilization information from web and comparison data using very different methods. A total of nine (64%) studies found positive linear correlations in drug utilization between web and comparison data. Five studies reported association using other methods: One study reported similar drug popularity rankings using both data sources. Two studies developed prediction models for future drug consumption, including both web and comparison data, and two studies conducted ecological analyses but did not quantitatively compare data sources. According to the STROBE, RECORD, and RECORD-PE checklists, overall reporting quality was mediocre. Many items were left blank as they were out of scope for the type of study investigated.ConclusionOur results demonstrate the potential of web data for assessing drug utilization, although the field is still in a nascent period of investigation. Ultimately, social media and internet search data could be used to get a quick preliminary quantification of drug use in real time. Additional studies on the topic should use more standardized methodologies on different sets of drugs in order to confirm these findings. In addition, currently available checklists for study quality of reporting would need to be adapted to these new sources of scientific information.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1074961/fullsurveillancesocial mediadrug utilizationsystematic scoping reviewuser-generated datainternet search |
| spellingShingle | Roman Keller Roman Keller Roman Keller Alessandra Spanu Milo Alan Puhan Antoine Flahault Christian Lovis Christian Lovis Margot Mütsch Raphaelle Beau-Lejdstrom Raphaelle Beau-Lejdstrom Social media and internet search data to inform drug utilization: A systematic scoping review Frontiers in Digital Health surveillance social media drug utilization systematic scoping review user-generated data internet search |
| title | Social media and internet search data to inform drug utilization: A systematic scoping review |
| title_full | Social media and internet search data to inform drug utilization: A systematic scoping review |
| title_fullStr | Social media and internet search data to inform drug utilization: A systematic scoping review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social media and internet search data to inform drug utilization: A systematic scoping review |
| title_short | Social media and internet search data to inform drug utilization: A systematic scoping review |
| title_sort | social media and internet search data to inform drug utilization a systematic scoping review |
| topic | surveillance social media drug utilization systematic scoping review user-generated data internet search |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1074961/full |
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