An overview of social media within APLAR rheumatology societies

Survey on Existing Social Media Platforms

I conducted a brief survey to assess the present state of APLAR’s rheumatological societies on social media platforms. Platforms managed by rheumatological societies listed as APLAR member national organizations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube were analyzed (Figure 1). All websites maintained by these rheumatological societies were also checked.

Figure 1

Preferred social media platforms of APLAR rheumatology societies. APLAR, Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology.

Of the 34 rheumatology societies listed as member national organizations of APLAR, 25 (73.5%) had official websites. Only 19 societies had updated information on such sites within the past 4 months. Twenty-one websites had contact information about their societies. Thirteen had information relevant only to doctors, whereas 11 websites had information meant for both patients and doctors. Twelve websites had content that was exclusively in English, and 13 had a mixture of English and another language. One webpage of a rheumatological society featured only commercial content like advertisements. Another page had not had updates for the past 6 years.

Reviewing the Facebook pages of these societies revealed that only 16 (47.1%) had an official page. Recent updates had been made to 11 pages within the last 4 months. Ten Facebook pages had contact information about the society. Fourteen pages had content meant for doctors, whereas 2 pages had posts relevant to patients and doctors. Nine Facebook pages were exclusively in the English language, 2 featured content in their native language, and 5 had a mixture of English and another language.

Only eleven (32.4%) societies had official Twitter profiles. Ten featured current content and 4 had contact information. All provided content targeting doctors. Four societies had posts exclusively in English and 3 were a mixture of English and another language, whereas 4 profiles featured in a native language.

According to my poll, LinkedIn and Instagram were the least popular social media platforms among APLAR rheumatological societies. Only 5 LinkedIn pages existed (14.7% of all societies), and only 1 society featured up-to-date content. All had content in the English language. Only 1 page had contact details of the rheumatological society. Most LinkedIn accounts had a few posts at inception and no follow-up content. A mere 2 rheumatology societies had initiated Instagram pages, with only 1 society regularly updating the page with content.

The 14 (41.2%) societies had official YouTube channels. The majority of these channels contained fewer than 5 videos. The content was a mixture of rheumatology updates and society event promotions.

It was not possible to demonstrate online existence of three rheumatology societies. Another APLAR rheumatology society has active Facebook and Twitter accounts but no website or other online presence; we may assume that focusing entirely and intensely on these 2 platforms, has enabled this society to replace the requirement of a website.

Regional Preference of Platforms

As Figure 2 shows, the Middle East societies seemed quite fond of social media, with a variety of well-maintained platforms. Two-thirds of the rheumatology societies had Twitter profiles and YouTube channels. The Qatar Rheumatology Association and Emirates Society for Rheumatology had regularly updated Twitter profiles. Both these societies did weekly Tweets. Facebook took a backseat for many of these societies. The exceptions were the Jordanian Society of Rheumatology, Emirates Society for Rheumatology, and Qatar Rheumatology Association, which posted 1–3 times/ week on their respective Facebook pages.

Figure 2

Geographical preference for social media platforms within APLAR. APLAR, Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology.

Central Asian rheumatology societies had the most diminutive presence across all types of social media. Only the Tashkent Medical Academy, listed as a member national organization of APLAR, had a Twitter profile, a Facebook page, a webpage, and a LinkedIn account. Central Asia has 5 other rheumatology societies. But none of these featured web pages or social media profiles.

On the other hand, South Asian and Southeast Asian societies predominantly had Facebook as their leading platform, followed by YouTube and Twitter.

In South Asia, the Indian Rheumatology Association had Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn profiles. These were up-to-date with weekly posts. Out of the 5 South Asian Societies, 3 had YouTube channels. These are the College of Specialists in Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Sri Lanka, Indian Rheumatology Association, and Bangladesh Rheumatology Society.

When surveying Southeast Asian societies, it was observed that the Indonesian Rheumatology Association maintained Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn pages. This was the only association with a Twitter and a LinkedIn profile. All Southeast Asian societies had official websites.

Four out of 5 East Asian rheumatology societies, when surveyed online, had official society websites. These are Taiwan Rheumatology Association, Japan College of Rheumatology, The Hong Kong Society of Rheumatology, and Korean College of Rheumatology. But very few social media accounts under Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or YouTube existed within this region. Japan College of Rheumatology had its Twitter page, and Korean College of Rheumatology had a Facebook page.

Both rheumatology societies of Oceania, namely Australian Rheumatology Association and New Zealand Rheumatology Association, maintained websites. Only Australian Rheumatology Association had Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. None of these had Facebook accounts.

Offering a Trustworthy Source of Patient Information

Over 52% of global social media users and 32.8% of Twitter users reside within the Asia Pacific. Countries like Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have a social media penetration rate of around 60%. Time spent on social media exceeds 3.5 h/d in countries like the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia.^[1] But are Asia-Pacific rheumatology patients prepared to increase their awareness about the disease, communicate with their doctors, and check how their disease progresses through social media? In the field of orthopedics, social media use by patients seems to be phenomenal,^[2] and I feel that rheumatology patients are all geared up for the switch from offline to online.

The quality of information on social media is a key concern.^[3] Personal patient experiences and information overload are commonly observed on health information pages. Can rheumatology societies engage in the task of patient education in the APLAR region, or have other local social media pages already taken over this duty? In the above survey, only 11 society webpages offered information relevant to patients. Considering the multilingual nature of APLAR countries, it is best if societies consider exploring reliable patient education avenues through social media.

The Era of Digital Therapeutics

Software and devices have become the cornerstone of digital therapeutics. Recent advances in rheumatology might provide evidence-based digital solutions to patients soon. Digital therapeutic products are categorized into 3 segments – products that treat disease, manage conditions, and improve health functions. All these products need validation and this, in turn, requires patient data. Rheumatology societies of APLAR can make use of social media to interact and obtain patient data through a secure method. Occasionally, theinformation gleaned from social media platforms is surprisingly beneficial. According to Eichstaedt’s study, which had participants from a few US counties, there is a correlation between the language used on Twitter, stress levels and cardiovascular mortality at the community level.^[4]

Challenging Circumstances

East Asia occupies the top slot considering the world’s fastest aging population by region, whereas South Central Asia is in fourth place.^[5] Certain rheumatology ailments are seen primarily in geriatric patients, and it will be challenging to penetrate this age group through social media. The Asia-Pacific region has 426 million monthly active social media users.^[1] Setting up rheumatology-related social media pages meant for patients or their immediate family/caregivers, the latter group being more tech-savvy, might be a solution. Since many languages are used within the Asia Pacific, these disease information pages should ideally be in native languages. Rheumatology societies should expedite the process of establishing a team of social media enthusiasts within them to promote the spread of authentic medical information. Another future challenge might be to encourage the frequent use of social media among rheumatologists in general. APLAR can take the initiative to provide these societies and individuals with beneficial social media counsel.