ArticleBMJ open2016
Stroke survivors and their families receive information and support on an individual basis from an online forum: descriptive analysis of a population of 2348 patients and qualitative study of a sample of participants.
Article in BMJ open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 39 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 79 citations in OpenAlex.
- Access to and Use of Internet and Social Media by Low-Morbidity Stroke Survivors Participating in a National Web-Based Secondary Stroke Prevention Trial: Cross-sectional Survey.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Trial
- Online Community Support for Stroke Survivors and Caregivers: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- The Use of a Digital Social Forum in a Parkinson's Disease Risk Cohort: A Thematic Analysis of Forum Messages.Parkinson's disease · 2026Article
- What Is Shared in an Online Peer-Support Group Run by Stroke Survivors? An Exploratory Study With a Participatory Approach.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2025Article
- Article
- Informal Caregivers Connecting on the Web: Content Analysis of Posts on Discussion Forums.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Research investigating patient and carer psychoeducation needs regarding post-stroke cognition: a scoping review.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Metaphor Diffusion in Online Health Communities: Infodemiology Study in a Stroke Online Health Community.JMIR cardio · 2024Article
- Factors Influencing Recovery From Pediatric Stroke Based on Discussions From a UK-Based Online Stroke Community: Qualitative Thematic Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Exploring the Types of Social Support Exchanged by Survivors of Pediatric Stroke and Their Families in an Online Peer Support Community: Qualitative Thematic Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Ethical and Information Governance Considerations for Promoting Digital Social Interventions in Primary Care.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Experiences of Diagnosis, Symptoms, and Use of Reliever Inhalers in Patients With Asthma and Concurrent Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction or Breathing Pattern Disorder: Qualitative Analysis of a UK Asthma Online Community.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Prevention of Unplanned Hospital Admissions in Multimorbid Patients Using Computational Modeling: Observational Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Observational
- A qualitative exploration of internet forum discussions surrounding female sexual function for individuals with Sjögren's syndrome.PloS one · 2023Article
- Article
- Motivations of the participants who post a message in an online health forum: a qualitative and quantitative descriptive study in French health forum Doctissimo.BMC primary care · 2022Article
- The patient experience of relapsed refractory multiple myeloma and perspectives on emerging therapies.Cancer reports (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2022Article
- Experiences of exercise in patients with asthma: a qualitative analysis of discussions in a UK asthma online community.BJGP open · 2022Article
- Emotional Word Use in Informal Carers of People Living With Dementia: Linguistic Analysis of Online Discussion Forums.JMIR aging · 2022Article
- Identifying and Characterizing Medical Advice-Seekers on a Social Media Forum for Buprenorphine Use.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issuedCorrection.2016
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo describe the characteristics of participants of an online stroke forum, their reasons for posting in the forum and whether responses addressed users' needs.
methodsDescriptive analysis of the population of 2004-2011 archives of Talkstroke, the online forum of the Stroke Association, and comparison with patients admitted to hospital with stroke (Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme, SSNAP). Thematic analysis of posts from a sample of 59 participants representative of age at stroke and sex. SETTINGS: UK.
main outcome measuresCharacteristics of participants: age, sex, survivor versus patient by third party, side of stroke (R, L), social class; (from the sample of 59 participants): level of disability, stroke type, classification of users' intents for writing a post in the forum, quantification of needs addressed by the forum, topics of discussion.
participants2348 participants (957 stroke survivors, 1391 patients with stroke talked about by third party).
resultsPatients of both sexes and from a wide range of ages at stroke (0 to 95 years) and degrees of disability were represented in the forum, although younger than the UK stroke population (mean age 52 years vs 77 years in SSNAP). Analysis of 841 posts showed that the main users' intents for writing in the forum were requests/offers of information and support (58%) and sharing own experiences of stroke (35%). Most information needs were around stroke-related physical impairments, understanding the cause of stroke and the potential for recovery. Up to 95% of the users' intents were met by the replies received.
conclusionsPatients' needs expressed in the online forum confirm and widen the evidence from traditional research studies, showing that such forums are a potential resource for studying needs in this population. The forum provided an opportunity for patients and families to give and receive advice and social support.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.