Sharing the Best of Cancer Communities on Twitter

Earlier this month I traveled to Houston, invited to speak at the NRG Oncology Semi-Annual Meeting during a Social Media Workshop.

I was a bit nervous but also excited to share with oncologists and other cancer professionals: what is community, how cancer hashtags were developed, how cancer communities were founded on Twitter, the benefits of cancer communities and how we can learn what patients need from these communities.

Did you know that most Twitter cancer communities were founded by patients and that many of their moderators are oncologists? Did you know that many of these communities hold regular chats?
Did you know that both #bcsm and #gyncsm have had papers published based on their community members needs and support they find in these communities.

• #bcsm published Twitter Social Community is an Effective Tool for Breast Cancer Patient Education and Support: Patient -Reported Outcomes by Survey  (https://www.jmir.org/2015/7/e188/) in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in 2015 and concluded that patients perceived knowledge increased and anxiety decreased after participation in a Twitter Social Media support group. 
• #gyncsm published in the Journal of Patient Centered Research and Reviews in an article titled, The Needs of Women Treated for Ovarian Cancer: Results from a #gyncsm Tweet Chat (https://digitalrepository.aurorahealthcare.org/jpcrr/vol5/iss2/3/) . Authors found that women felt more vulnerable and had increased emotional concerns after treatment ended while during treatment women were more concerned about side effects and physical concerns during treatment. 

I finished up my talk with these comments/recommendations.

I hope that more oncologists and patients will participate in these communities - we have so much to learn from each other.

I want to than NRG Oncology ( @NRGonc),  Dr T. Julian ( @TBJulianMD) and Dr Becca Previs (@BeccaPrevisMD) for the opportunity to share my knowledge of Twitter Cancer Communities with you.


Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

Hashtag Collections and Communities - JCOCCI Article

I am so pleased to have co-authored and to have the #gyncsm community and chat be a part of a newly published article in the JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics journal.

Organizing Online Health Content: Developing Hashtag Collections for Healthier Internet-Based People and Communities  

"Cancer tag ontology evolved from patient-centered, disease-specific, Twitter-based chats as a cooperatively designed system that has grown in use from 2011 to 2017. This article provides guidelines, challenges, and opportunities for using hashtags to develop online communities of interest."

Thank you Matt Katz, MD for spearheading this important work for physicians, patients and health care providers. 

Dee                                                                                                                                                      Every Day is a Blessing! 

 

 

 

 

I Lived It

The other day in the car I heard the song "I Lived It" by Blake Shelton.

...Oh, you think I'm talking crazy
In a different language you might not understand
Oh, that's alright
That's just the kind of life that made me who I am...

He is talking about his time growing up but it spoke to me too- it related to how I felt- and sometimes still feel - when I talk about my experience with cancer, let alone ovarian cancer, to those who have never had it. I know my life would’ve been different if I hadn’t had ovarian cancer, but I did, and this is the life I have now. I’ve written a book , lent my voice as a patient advocate, participated in academic papers as an author, attended and spoken at conferences- these are things I would never have had an opportunity to do. Now, I am invited to join a new project for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, that will include building a community of women diagnosed with the disease to support and learn from each other.

The Ovarian Cancer Registry was started by Larry Maxwell, INOVA Gynecology Department as part of the DOD Gynecology Cancer Center of Excellence. Women with a history of ovarian, peritoneal, or tubal cancer are invited to join and contribute data through the Registry which is a type of clinical trial. Women in the study will also be surveyed for ongoing quality of life issues and have the opportunity to learn about new studies and new initiatives. With our combined voice, I am hopeful we will be invited to participate in formative work- to guide future research questions, clinical trials, and the education that we as survivors need and want. . To learn more about the goals of the registry visit https://ocr.endgyncancer.com/ to register or read the consent form please visit https://ocr.endgyncancer.com/join/. I am pleased to join this initiative as a blogger along with Annie Ellis, Teri Woodhull, Susan Leighton, and Kristina Abalos.

The Registry, is separate from, but supports Globe-athon, the global effort to end gynecologic cancers. Globe-athon hopes "to increase awareness of women’s cancer, address disparities, and transcend barriers (i.e. ethnic, racial political, geographic, financial, cultural and religious) through educational outreach, global community engagement, and by advancing research." Part of building this community is having ovarian cancer survivors share their experience and thoughts. Our blogs will be housed here; check this page to read the blogs that are posted to date.

In the future women will also have the opportunity to have more private conversations through a partnership between the Registry, Globe-athon and Smart Patients, an online community for patients and families affected by a variety of illnesses. I'll update you all when that partnership begins.

We have so much to offer each other and I look forward to being a part of this new world wide community of women.


Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!