Anglia Ruskin Research Online (ARRO)
Browse
- No file added yet -

Social media use in hearing loss, tinnitus, and vestibular disorders: A systematic review

Download (584.75 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-08-30, 19:55 authored by Alyssa J. Ulep, Aniruddha Dehpande, Eldré W. Beukes, Aubry Placette, Vinaya Manchaiah
Background: People are increasingly using social media outlets for gathering health-related information. There has also been considerable interest from researchers and clinicians in understanding how social media is used by the general public, patients, and health professionals to gather health-related information. Interest in the use of social media for audiovestibular disorders has also received attention, although published evidence synthesis of this use is lacking. The objective of this review article was to synthesize existing research studies related to social media use concerning hearing loss, tinnitus, and vestibular disorders. Method: Comprehensive searches were performed in multiple databases between October and November 2020 and again in June 2021 and March 2022, with additional reports identified from article citations and unpublished literature. This review article was presented using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Results: A total of 1,512 articles were identified. Of these, 16 publications met the inclusion criteria. Overall, social media offered people the platform to learn about hearing loss, tinnitus, and vestibular disorders via advice and support seeking, personal experience sharing, general information sharing, and relationship building. Research studies were more common on information and user activities seen on Facebook Pages, Twitter, and YouTube videos. Misinformation was identified across all social media platforms for each of these conditions. Conclusions: Online discussions about audiovestibular disorders are evident, although inconsistencies in study procedures make it difficult to compare these discussion groups. Misinformation is a concern needing to be addressed during clinical consultations as well as via other public health means. Uniform guidelines are needed for research regarding the use of social media so that outcomes are comparable. Moreover, clinical studies examining how exposure to and engagement with social media information may impact outcomes (e.g., help seeking, rehabilitation uptake, rehabilitation use, and satisfaction) require exploration.

History

Refereed

  • Yes

Volume

0

Issue number

0

Page range

1-24

Publication title

American Journal of Audiology

ISSN

1558-9137

Publisher

ASHA Publications

File version

  • Accepted version

Language

  • eng

Legacy posted date

2022-05-17

Legacy creation date

2022-05-17

Legacy Faculty/School/Department

Faculty of Science & Engineering

Note

Supplemental material available at: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.20667672

Usage metrics

    ARU Outputs

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC