1,720,978 research outputs found
Surfing in health online social networks: chraracteristics and criticisms of emergeing health communication tools
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Quality of Online Pharmacies and Websites Selling Prescription Drugs: A Systematic Review
No full textBackground: Online pharmacies are companies that sell pharmaceutical preparations, including prescription-only drugs, on
the Internet. Very little is known about this phenomenon because many online pharmacies operate from remote countries, where
legal bases and business practices are largely inaccessible to international research.
Objective: The aim of the study was to perform an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the scientific literature focusing
on the broader picture of online pharmacies by scanning several scientific and institutional databases, with no publication time
limits.
Methods: We searched 4 electronic databases up to January 2011 and the gray literature on the Internet using the Google search
engine and its tool Google Scholar. We also investigated the official websites of institutional agencies (World Health Organization,
and US and European centers for disease control and drug regulation authorities). We focused specifically on online pharmacies
offering prescription-only drugs. We decided to analyze and report only articles with original data, in order to review all the
available data regarding online pharmacies and their usage.
Results: We selected 193 relevant articles: 76 articles with original data, and 117 articles without original data (editorials,
regulation articles, or the like) including 5 reviews. The articles with original data cover samples of online pharmacies in 47 cases,
online drug purchases in 13, consumer characteristics in 15, and case reports on adverse effects of online drugs in 12. The studies
show that random samples with no specific limits to prescription requirements found that at least some websites sold drugs without
a prescription and that an online questionnaire was a frequent tool to replace prescription. Data about geographical characteristics
show that this information can be concealed in many websites. The analysis of drug offer showed that online a consumer can get
virtually everything. Regarding quality of drugs, researchers very often found inappropriate packaging and labeling, whereas the
chemical composition usually was not as expected in a minority of the studies’ samples. Regarding consumers, the majority of
studies found that not more than 6% of the samples had bought drugs online.
Conclusions: Online pharmacies are an important phenomenon that is continuing to spread, despite partial regulation, due to
intrinsic difficulties linked to the impalpable and evanescent nature of the Web and its global dimension. To enhance the benefits
and minimize the risks of online pharmacies, a 2-level approach could be adopted. The first level should focus on policy, with
laws regulating the phenomenon at an international level. The second level needs to focus on the individual. This approach should
aim to increase health literacy, required for making appropriate health choices, recognizing risks and making the most of the
multitude of opportunities offered by the world of medicine 2.0
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Meningococcal disease in Italy: public concern, media coverage and policy change.
No full textBACKGROUND:
Between 2015 and 2017 six deaths due to meningitis in the Lombardy Region, Northern Italy, caught the attention of media and increased concern among the population, with a consequent increase in demand for vaccination. Considering the evidence about the impact of media coverage of health issues on public behaviour, this paper investigates the trend of media coverage and internet searches regarding meningitis in the Lombardy Region.
METHODS:
Content analysis of online articles published from January 2015 to May 2017 and analysis of Google Trends were carried out. A codebook was created in order to assess the content of each article analysed, based on six areas: article characteristics, information about meningococcal disease and vaccination, Local Health Authority activities, accuracy of information and tone of the message.
RESULTS:
Both public interest and media attention peaked in December 2016 and January 2017, when the Lombardy Regional Authority changed its policy by offering co-payment to adults with a saving of 50%. The frequency of meningitis coverage decreased after the announcement of policy change. For example, articles containing new information on meningitis or meningococcal vaccine (76 to 48%, p = 0.01) and preventive recommendations (31% down to 10%, p = 0.006) decreased significantly. An alarmist tone appeared in 21% of pre-policy articles that decreased to 5% post-policy (p = 0.03).
CONCLUSIONS:
The findings suggest a role for the media in fostering public pressure towards health services and policy-makers. A collaboration between Public Health institutions and the media would be beneficial in order to improve communication with the public
Virtual profile, real patient: in the dynamic world of online social networks criticisms stand still
No full text“Save 30% if you buy it today”. Online Pharmacies and the Enhancement of Peripheral Thinking in Consumers
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Use of cognitive enhancement medication among Northern Italian university students
No full textThis study assesses the use of cognitive enhancement medication
among university students in Northern Italy. It was conducted as a
cross-sectional analysis on the basis of a paper-and-pencil survey
of 77 undergraduate students attending courses in the Faculty of
Medicine of the University of Milan, Milano, Italy. Although the
share of students who have taken cognitive enhancement medication
themselves in the past is still small (16%), the use of these drugs
is rather common and freely communicated in some social circles.
Enhancing the ability to study outside of the class was students’
primary motive for use. Students who think that there is no or an
acceptable risk involved in cognitive enhancement medication are
more likely to take drugs and dietary supplements than those who
perceive the risk as high
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