Use of social media for cancer prevention and early diagnosis: scoping review protocol

• Published in: BMJ open Vol. 10; no. 2; p. e033592
• Main Authors: Kaushal, Aradhna, Kassianos, Angelos P, Sheringham, Jessica, Waller, Jo, von Wagner, Christian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group LTD 25.02.2020; BMJ Publishing Group
• Series: Protocol
• Subjects: Cancer; Communication; Disease prevention; Early Detection of Cancer - statistics & numerical data; Evidence-Based Medicine; Health Education - statistics & numerical data; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health promotion; Health Promotion - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Information storage; Internet; Knowledge; Medical diagnosis; Medical screening; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Oncology; Public Health; Scoping Reviews As Topic; Social Media - statistics & numerical data; Social networks; Social research; Subject heading schemes; Systematic review; Tumors; User generated content; Web 2.0; social medicine; public health; health policy
• ISSN: 2044-6055; 2044-6055
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033592

IntroductionSocial media platforms offer unique opportunities for health promotion messages focusing on cancer prevention and early diagnosis. However, there has been very little synthesis of the evaluation of such campaigns, limiting the ability to apply learning to the design of future social media campaigns. We aimed to provide a broad overview of the current research base on social media interventions for cancer prevention and early diagnosis, to identify knowledge gaps and to inform policy, practice and future research questions.MethodsWe will use scoping review methodology to explore the available evidence on social media interventions for cancer prevention and early diagnosis, with a focus on methodological approaches. Quantitative and qualitative studies and reports will be identified through searching several research databases, through internet searching for grey literature and by screening the citations of studies included in the review. All identified studies will undergo independent title and abstract screening and full-text screening against inclusion and exclusion criteria. We plan to chart the data from included studies to record the characteristics of the social media interventions, resources, activities, outputs, outcomes and impact. Charted data will be collated and summarised using a narrative synthesis. The interpretation and implications of the findings will be enhanced by consultation with relevant stakeholders such as public health organisations, cancer charities, and patient and public involvement groups when preliminary results are available.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required for this scoping review. The results will be used to identify research questions for future systematic reviews and to inform the development of future social media interventions. We will disseminate findings in peer-reviewed journals and at relevant conferences.