The invisible reality of arthritis: A qualitative analysis of an online message board

Abstract

Patients do not always understand the information being offered by health care professionals, and they do not have the confidence to ask for clarification. Health care professionals need to ensure that they find a way of checking levels of patient understanding. Failure to do so means that patients may turn to alternative sources, which may not provide accurate information. The study also showed that people with arthritic conditions find it difficult to express how they are feeling in their offline world; furthermore, they find it difficult to ask for support from their significant others, preferring instead to 'suffer in silence' and seek support from the online community, potentially further isolating them from the support of those in their offline world. There is scope for such patients to be both empowered and educated, so that they are better able to ask for the help they need, which in turn will help to counteract the danger of isolation.

Mental health-promoting dialogues from the perspective of community-dwelling seniors with multimorbidity

“…Clearly, meeting patients on their level, through confirmation and listening to them, is required to create a relationship with the patient that is built on trust 42. Additionally, examining the level of the senior’s understanding is a necessary step in providing support; empowering seniors to provide self-care may be challenging 46. Nurses may use a cognitive and emotional tool, called “the visual art program”, which focuses on the elderly person’s knowledge and personal experience 47.…”

Ontario Kindergarten Teachers’ Social Media Discussions About Full Day Kindergarten

“…An alternative to traditional methods (i.e., interviews, focus groups) has been found in social media data (Wilkinson & Thelwall, 2011). Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in research examining social media discussions, such as online message boards, blogs, and news forums (Hadert & Rodham, 2008;Henrich & Holmes, 2011;Moorhead et al, 2013;White & Dorman, 2001). Teachers have increasingly been participating in social media discussions to discuss their concerns regarding educational policies (Reichman & Atzi, 2012;Stitzlein & Quinn, 2012).…”

A System for De-identifying Medical Message Board Text

“…Users of MMBs communicate by asynchronously posting messages to the board in threads, groups of messages that are typically centered on a single topic. Because of the sheer number, inexpensiveness, and candid nature of messages posted on these boards, many researchers have begun to treat MMB threads as "virtual focus groups" to gain more knowledge about patient experiences [1][2][3]. Additionally, our group is currently using MMBs as a source for identifying undocumented adverse effects from drugs and dietary supplements.…”

“…Author details 1 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. 2 University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School, Philadelphia, PA. 3 University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science, Philadelphia, PA.…”