Endorsement of N95 Respirators on Twitter: is correct, complete advice being given?

Abstract

Research Objective This study aimed to examine influential voices recommending N95 respirators during a peak in cases and deaths. Our study sought to understand whether influencers were providing accurate details about the correct type of N95 that would protect the wearer and those around them and the vital need to ensure a proper fit for the N95. Study Design Our study drew upon primary data from Twitter and retrieved n = 251,740 tweets from January 2021, which were filtered and analysed using social network analysis. The study drew upon mixed methods. Betweenness centrality was used to identify influential users recommending N95 face masks. A coding frame was developed to determine whether complete advice was provided. The tweets received as replies to each of the influencers were analysed using content analysis. Principal Findings Our study found that the most influential users recommending about N95 face masks were medical professionals and public health experts. Moreover, our data revealed that most tweets by health influencers recommending N95s did not provide further details about the correct type of N95 mask and the vital need to ensure a proper fit for the mask. Implications for Policy and Practice Healthcare influencers can play a vital role in disseminating accurate and timely information. Our study confirmed that prominent health influencers were not providing enough information about N95s. We produce three key recommendations for healthcare influencers. Our results are likely to be of interest to health services and for improving patient safety.