#CardioOncology: Twitter chat as a mechanism for increasing awareness of heart health for cancer patients
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#CardioOncology: Twitter chat as a mechanism for increasing awareness of heart health for cancer patients Claire C. Conley1, Neha G. Goyal2 and Sherry-Ann Brown3* Abstract Consideration of heart health for cancer survivors is increasingly important, as improved cancer survivorship has resulted in a growing number of survivors affected by cardiovascular disease. However, there is limited knowledge of cardio-oncology among both patients and a variety of health professionals. Thus, efforts are needed to increase awareness about cardio-oncology. Social media represents one potential opportunity to disseminate information about cardio-oncology to a large audience. We highlight one example of a social media educational/advocacy campaign conducted on Twitter (a “Twitter Chat”) that garnered nearly 1.2 million impressions (views by Twitter users) in just 24 h. We provide both quantitative and qualitative data to support the efficacy of using Twitter for such educational/advocacy campaigns, and describe key features that contributed to its success. Twitter Chats inexpensively utilize innovative technology to provide education and foster community. Long-term studies are needed to understand whether Twitter Chats can change knowledge and behavior related to cardio-oncology. Keywords: Cardio-oncology, Cardiology, Cancer, Cancer survivorship, Social media, Twitter Cardio-oncology is an emerging subspecialty focusing on the prevention and management of cardiovascular injury from cancer therapies [1, 2]. It is increasingly important to consider cancer survivors’ heart health, as improved cancer survivorship has resulted in a growing number of survivors affected by cardiovascular disease [3]. In addition, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in cancer survivors [4]. To address this phenomenon, dedicated cardio-oncology programs are rapidly emerging to treat cancer patients with de novo and preexisting cardiovascular disease [5, 6]. Such programs are interdisciplinary and often include cardiologists, hematologists/oncologists, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, and social workers. Together, these experts * Correspondence: [email protected] 3 Cardio-Oncology Program, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 W Watertown Plank Road, Wauwatosa, WI 53226, USA Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
can address both prevention and treatment of cancer therapy-related cardiotoxicity. However, there is room for improvement in cardio-oncology knowledge among both patients [7, 8] and health professionals [9, 10]. Thus, efforts are needed to increase awareness about the intersection of heart health and cancer. Social media represents one potential opportunity to disseminate medical information to a large audience. Social media offers a way to distinguish and disseminate medical information much more rapidly and broadly than through traditional peer review and subsequent health communication efforts [11]. In 2019, 72% of U.S. adults
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