Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31778117›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2019

Patient-Reported Outcomes in Online Communications on Statins, Memory, and Cognition: Qualitative Analysis Using Online Communities.

Farris Timimi, Sara Ray, Erik Jones, Lee Aase, Kathleen Hoffman

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Farris Timimi *Department of Cardiovascular Disease, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-0877-046X
Sara RayInspire, Arlington, VA, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-3487-8471
Erik JonesInspire, Arlington, VA, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-8670-1577
Lee AaseDepartment of Cardiovascular Disease, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-5615-7790
Kathleen HoffmanInspire, Arlington, VA, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-8242-8403
Inspire Institute · USMayo Clinic in Arizona · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn drug development clinical trials, there is a need for balance between restricting variables by setting eligibility criteria and representing the broader patient population that may use a product once it is approved. Similarly, although recent policy initiatives focusing on the inclusion of historically underrepresented groups are being implemented, barriers still remain. These limitations of clinical trials may mask potential product benefits and side effects. To bridge these gaps, online communication in health communities may serve as an additional population signal for drug side effects.

objectiveThe aim of this study was to employ a nontraditional dataset to identify drug side-effect signals. The study was designed to apply both natural language processing (NLP) technology and hands-on linguistic analysis to a set of online posts from known statin users to (1) identify any underlying crossover between the use of statins and impairment of memory or cognition and (2) obtain patient lexicon in their descriptions of experiences with statin medications and memory changes.

methodsResearchers utilized user-generated content on Inspire, looking at over 11 million posts across Inspire. Posts were written by patients and caregivers belonging to a variety of communities on Inspire. After identifying these posts, researchers used NLP and hands-on linguistic analysis to draw and expand upon correlations among statin use, memory, and cognition.

resultsNLP analysis of posts identified statistical correlations between statin users and the discussion of memory impairment, which were not observed in control groups. NLP found that, out of all members on Inspire, 3.1% had posted about memory or cognition. In a control group of those who had posted about TNF inhibitors, 6.2% had also posted about memory and cognition. In comparison, of all those who had posted about a statin medication, 22.6% (P<.001) also posted about memory and cognition. Furthermore, linguistic analysis of a sample of posts provided themes and context to these statistical findings. By looking at posts from statin users about memory, four key themes were found and described in detail in the data: memory loss, aphasia, cognitive impairment, and emotional change.

conclusionsCorrelations from this study point to a need for further research on the impact of statins on memory and cognition. Furthermore, when using nontraditional datasets, such as online communities, NLP and linguistic methodologies broaden the population for identifying side-effect signals. For side effects such as those on memory and cognition, where self-reporting may be unreliable, these methods can provide another avenue to inform patients, providers, and the Food and Drug Administration.

Indexed as

Patient Reported Outcome MeasuresCognitionCommunicationFemaleHumansHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsInternetMaleMemoryQualitative ResearchHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitorsdrug-related side effects and adverse reactionshydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitorsinfodemiologyinfoveillancememory losspeer-support groupspharmacovigilancePROMssocial media

Identifiers

PMID31778117
PMCPMC6908973
OpenAlexW2976134306

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.