Social media can have an impact on how we manage and investigate the COVID-19 pandemic

Affiliations

¹ World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Infectious Diseases, Research Methods and Recommendations, Michael G. DeGroote Cochrane Canada & McMaster GRADE Centres, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: cuelloca@mcmaster.ca.
² Department of Evidence Based Medicine, Hospital Pediátrico de Sinaloa, Cochrane Mexico, Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.
³ Department of Epidemiology, CAPRHI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.

Carlos Cuello-Garcia et al. J Clin Epidemiol. 2020 Nov.

. 2020 Nov:127:198-201.

doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.06.028. Epub 2020 Jun 27.

¹ World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Infectious Diseases, Research Methods and Recommendations, Michael G. DeGroote Cochrane Canada & McMaster GRADE Centres, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: cuelloca@mcmaster.ca.
² Department of Evidence Based Medicine, Hospital Pediátrico de Sinaloa, Cochrane Mexico, Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.
³ Department of Epidemiology, CAPRHI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.

Abstract

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In situations of emergencies and urgencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, many are disseminating information through social media channels; this has an impact on billions of persons worldwide.
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Misinformation about the current pandemic occurs frequently in these platforms and can have serious consequences.
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When properly used, social media can be a useful tool that provides opportunities to disseminate and receive relevant information for patients, clinicians, and scientists.
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Better research methods and proper use of these platforms by health scientists and the public are warranted to address social media's role in health policy and individual decisions. A multidisciplinary approach with better outreach and dissemination is optimal.

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