Social media for dissemination of Cochrane evidence in Polish and creating engagement opportunities

ID: 

140

Session: 

Poster session 1

Date: 

Sunday 16 September 2018 - 12:30 to 14:00

All authors in correct order:

Zajac JF1, Koperny M2, Kolcz M2, Bala MM1
1 Jagiellonian University Medical College, Systematic Reviews Unit-Polish Cochrane Branch; Department of Hygiene and Dietetics, Poland
2 Jagiellonian University Medical College, Systematic Reviews Unit-Polish Cochrane Branch, Poland
Presenting author and contact person

Presenting author:

Malgorzata Bala

Contact person:

Joanna Zajac
Abstract text
Background: Cochrane Poland is using social media to disseminate translated Cochrane evidence, raise awareness and to promote high-quality health information in Poland.
Our objective was to evaluate a structured social media strategy, using multiple platforms, to disseminate Cochrane evidence (plain language summaries - PLS) in Poland.
Methods: In July 2015 we launched Polish Branch of Nordic Cochrane Centre, in March 2016 we launched Cochrane Poland fanpage and in November 2016 Twitter profile. Since 2015 we have been developing cooperation regarding translation and dissemination of PLS with students from Jagiellonian University Medical College and students from University of Warsaw’s Institute for English Studies educational project “Humanities for Health” as well as with specialists physicians, pharmacists, public health specialists, psychologists, biotechnologists, biologists.
Results: 774 of Polish translations of Cochrane PLS were published during two and a half years. Between 2015 and February 2018 we cooperated with a total of 113 volunteers, with 25 of them cooperating with us continuously. A total of 31 people with Polish affiliation were registered in Archie in September 2014, now the number of people with Polish affiliation exceeds 300.
We coordinate Cochrane Poland fanpage on Facebook, until Feb 2018 we published 280 posts (3 per week). The most popular selected topics are: pregnancy and child health (~20% of all posted PLS), nutrition (~53%), alternative medicine (~12%), problems related to the musculoskeletal system and physical activity (~15%), as well as issues related to public health.
The organic range of information published on the Cochrane Poland profile is on average ~200 recipients. Cochrane's fanpage likes are regularly increasing from 118 in the first month to 760 at the end of Feb 2018. Since November 2016 on Twitter account (@CochranePolska), we published 211 tweets, some of them reached over 2,000 people.
Conclusions: Facebook and Twitter are successful tools to disseminate Cochrane evidence in Polish and creating multiple opportunities to engage different groups of people with Cochrane Poland. Presence of Cochrane evidence in Polish language raises awareness of availability of reliable health information for patients and healthcare consumers.
Patient or healthcare consumer involvement: in translations and dissemination.

Relevance to patients and consumers: 

An important aspect of patient-focused health is dissemination of reliable health information. The abstract describes efforts and results of dissemination of Plain Language Summaries among Polish population. We aim to propagate and inform general population we to find good quality information connected with everyday life. We believe that in social media there is space for Cochrane evidence and education.