Look who’s talking now: Cancer in primary care on Twitter. An observational study

Abstract

Background: Twitter is a microblogging platform that helps share information. It is a dynamic tool that has been embraced by many user types including consumers and healthcare professionals (HCPs). Currently, there are no data on how cancer in primary care features on Twitter. Aim: To explore the type of users and information shared about cancer in primary care on Twitter. Design & setting: A descriptive exploratory study took place of publicly available Twitter data. Method: Tweets were searched between July 2015 and June 2017 for ‘GP’, ‘general practice’, ‘primary care’, or ‘general practitioner’ in conjunction with ‘cancer’. A 20% random sample was coded for geographic location, user type..