Respiratory tracker: eHCPs in the UK were quick to respond to news about high number of pneumonia cases in China

​​Between 21 November and 20 December 2023 CREATION Pinpoint® tracked the conversations of UK eHCPs discussing respiratory diseases on X (formerly Twitter). We analysed 3,269 posts by 1,245 eHCPs.

There was a flurry of eHCP activity on November 22 and November 23, as healthcare professionals reacted to reports from the World Health Organisation of cases of “undiagnosed pneumonia” in China. eHCPs were quick to draw comparisons to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many stating that the news should be taken more seriously than it had been at the end of 2019.

The last time I saw reports of an outbreak of undiagnosed pneumonia in China thought, naa…no big deal. Wont amount to much.

That was in December 2019.

Not making that same mistake again. https://t.co/kvcw7FIYKP

— Neil Stone (@DrNeilStone) November 22, 2023

Throughout 22 to 24 November, a large number of eHCPs interacted with content around the British Thoracic Society’s Winter Meeting 2023. Asthma was the most spoken about respiratory illness at the BTS Winter meeting. In particular, eHCPs discussed the “global catastrophe” of preventable asthma deaths worldwide. Some eHCPs, such as cardiorespiratory consultant Laura Graham shared content which spoke about the effect of the “cost of living crisis” on respiratory illness in the UK.

Heartbreaking to hear @swoolnough @asthmalunguk on how devastating the cost of living crisis is – people call the helpline who can’t afford to heat their homes, can’t miss zero hours work for health appointments, can’t afford prescriptions https://t.co/aavyat8Iex #BTSWinter2023

— DrLJ 💙 (@drlaurajane) November 23, 2023

A post from Iain Beardsell, a consultant at University Hospital Southampton, made on December 6 was one of the most widely shared posts from the study period, being shared by 28 other eHCPs in the UK. The post, which addressed the “myth” that hypoxic drive is the cause of rising CO2 in COPD, engendered a lively discussion amongst eHCPs. While some eHCPs agreed wholeheartedly, such as Mark Forrest who welcomed “common sense at last” about the myth, other eHCPs felt that the myth still had some value as “a cautionary tale”.  

Hallelujah!!!! Yes….common sense at last about the ‘Hypoxic drive myth’ where all COPD patients must never be given high flow oxygen!!! pic.twitter.com/oDU32v7QZr

— Mark Forrest (@Obidoc) December 7, 2023

Each month, we track the eHCP conversation relating to respiratory disease. You can read other editions in the Respiratory Tracker archive .

You can also keep up to date with other pharmaceutical tracking updates, including how HCPs engage with Top 50 pharma and which product approvals are catching their attention.  To receive these updates straight to your inbox you can sign up to receive our monthly eJournal with all of our latest HCP insights. 

If you would like to dig deeper into what we have seen this month then please do get in touch. 

Methodology

• This article analysed the conversation on 1,245 of HCPs in the UK discussing respiratory disease and related terms between 21 November and 20 December 2023 using CREATION Pinpoint®.

• Between 21 November and 20 December 2023, there were 3,269 UK eHCP mentions of respiratory disease and related terms, from 1,245 unique UK eHCP authors.