BACKGROUND
Insufficient recruitment of participants remains a critical roadblock to successful clinical research, in particular clinical trials. Social media (SM) provides new ways for connecting potential participants with research opportunities. Researchers suggested that the social network Twitter may serve as a rich avenue for exploring how patients communicate about their health issues and increasing enrollment in cancer clinical trials. However, there is a lack of evidence that Twitter offers practical utility and impact.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this pilot study is to examine the feasibility and impact of using Twitter monitoring data (i.e., user activity and their conversations about cancer-related conditions and concerns expressed by Twitter users in LA County) as a tool for enhancing clinical trial recruitment at a comprehensive cancer center.
METHODS
We will conduct a mixed-methods interrupted time series study design with a before and after SM recruitment intervention. Based on a preliminary analysis of eligible trials, we plan to onboard at least 84 clinical trials across six disease categories: breast cancer, colon cancer, kidney cancer, lymphoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and prostate cancer that are open to accrual at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center (USC Norris). We will monitor messages about the six cancer conditions posted by Twitter users in LA County. Recruitment for the trials will occur through the Twitter account (@USCTrials). Primary study outcomes include, first, feasibility and acceptance of the social media intervention among targeted Twitter users and the study teams of the onboarded trials, which will be assessed using qualitative interviews and 4-point Likert scale, and calculating the proportion of targeted Twitter users who engaged with outreach messages. Second, impact of the social media intervention will be measured by calculating the proportion of people who enrolled in trials. The enrollment rate will be compared between the active intervention period and the prior 10 months as historical control for each disease trial group.
RESULTS
This study has been funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) through a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) award. Study approval was obtained from the Clinical Investigations Committee (CIC) at USC Norris and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at USC. Recruitment on Twitter started in February 2018. Data collection will be completed in November 2018.
CONCLUSIONS
This pilot project will provide preliminary data and practical insight into the application of publicly available Twitter data to identify and recruit clinical trial participants center across six cancer disease types. We will shed light on the acceptance of the SM intervention among Twitter users and study team members of the onboarded trials. If successful, the findings will inform a multisite, randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy of the social media intervention across different locations and populations.
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