Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32418193›Full record

ArticleDrug safety2020

Communicating Adverse Drug Reaction Insights Through Patient Organizations: Experiences from a Pilot Study in the Netherlands.

Linda Härmark, Gerda Weits, Rietje Meijer, Federica Santoro, G Niklas Norén, Florence van Hunsel

Erratum issuedAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Drug safety, 2020. 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 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Pharmacovigilance in the digital age: gaining insight from social media data.Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.) · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Linda HärmarkNetherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, Goudsbloemvallei 7, 5237 MH, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. l.harmark@lareb.nl.ORCID 0000-0002-9314-9298
Gerda WeitsNetherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, Goudsbloemvallei 7, 5237 MH, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-0117-2296
Rietje MeijerNetherlands Thyroid Organization, Stationsstraat 79 G, 3811 MH, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
Federica SantoroUppsala Monitoring Centre, Bredgränd 7, Uppsala, Sweden.
G Niklas NorénUppsala Monitoring Centre, Bredgränd 7, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-4595-230X
Florence van HunselNetherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, Goudsbloemvallei 7, 5237 MH, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-8965-3224

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionTo improve therapeutic decision making, it is crucial that information regarding adverse drug reactions reaches patients. It is not enough to disseminate such findings through regulatory and scientific channels; targeted efforts to reach patients are necessary. One possible avenue is to collaborate with patient organizations.

objectivesThe aim of this pilot study was to explore how adverse drug reactions can be communicated through patient organizations.

methodsA text describing a signal of levothyroxine and panic attacks was tailored to patients' needs, in terms of language, style and content, with emphasis placed on what to do when experiencing the symptoms described. The signal was communicated via the Dutch thyroid organization's digital newsletter, social media channels, website and print magazine.

resultsThe digital newsletter was distributed to around 5000 subscribers. On Facebook, 13,820 people viewed the message, with 2346 clicks in the message, indicating an intention to read the whole post. The interactions on social media were positive, and the tone was respectful.

conclusionPatient organizations can help enable effective communication of adverse drug reactions to a relevant audience. The social media post generated more engagement than other communications from the patient organization, indicating a strong interest in this information. The additional patient experiences that were shared in the comments on social media further strengthened the original signal and its relevance to patients, creating an interesting feedback loop. The favourable experiences in this study support further consideration and exploration of this approach to communicate adverse drug reactions to patients.

Indexed as

Consumer OrganizationsDrug-Related Side Effects and Adverse ReactionsCommunicationHumansInternetNetherlandsPanic DisorderPatient Education as TopicPeriodicals as TopicPharmacovigilancePilot ProjectsSocial MediaThyroid DiseasesThyroxineThyroxine

Identifiers

PMID32418193
PMCPMC7395903

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Registered trials

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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.