By Mark Sullivan 
Each month, CREATION.co’s respiratory tracking update brings you the latest insights into the online UK healthcare professional (HCP) conversation regarding respiratory disease.
The conversation Level of UK HCPs discussing respiratory disease on Twitter
This month between July and August, the activity of UK HCPs discussing respiratory disease online was the lowest it has been so far this year, dropping below 3,000 mentions for the first time in 2021 and only matching the previous average daily level of conversation on eight days. Once again we saw the proportion of non COVID-19 related conversation increasing and making up the majority of the HCP mentions each day.
The latest respiratory disease insights from
UK HCPs online
Whilst the volume of COVID-19 posts from UK HCPs were fewer than previous months there were still some interesting topics of debate that emerged in the space. One of the most fervently debated being the difference of opinion between HCPs regarding the similarity of COVID-19 to other respiratory viral infections. NHS doctor Alison George was keen to dispel the belief that COVID-19 is “much like any other respiratory disease” after witnessing the effects of the disease first hand. She warned of the dangers of spreading these opinions, quoting a post from Robert Dingwall.
This comment could not have been made by anyone who has actually seen what #COVID19 can do.
NO @rwjdingwall, #Covid is NOT “much like any other respiratory virus”.
Ignorant comments like this have fuelled widespread disinformation & undermined efforts to inform & protect ppl. https://t.co/YpCjMo9l0c
— Dr Ali G #StandWithUkraine #CeasefireInGazaNow 💔 (@AlisonGeorge10) July 26, 2021
On the other side of the debate, Alasdair Munro (who was described as a “pediatric infectious disease expert”) summarised a review on prolonged symptoms after COVID-19 from SAGE and the ONS, who found evidence that “COVID19 is not that different to other respiratory infections”. However, Munro did also warn of the dangers that are still present with COVID-19, particularly the significantly higher risk of serious complications in other organ systems after hospitalisation.
Finally, some more evidence that #COVID19 is not that different to other respiratory infections
Risks of serious complications in other organ systems are significantly higher after hospitalisation with covid, but not compared to hospitalisation for other pneumonias
— Alasdair Munro (@apsmunro) July 31, 2021
A further emerging story UK HCPs discussed this month was a warning from Public Health England, regarding childhood respiratory infections rising ahead of winter and was shared 33 times by HCPs. Patient advocacy groups (PAGs) such as Parents and Carers Together Stockport encouraged parents to monitor symptoms of severe infection in at-risk children and gave helpful general and emergency guidance.
Parents are being encouraged to look out for symptoms of severe infection in at-risk children, including a high temperature of 37.8°C or above (fever), a dry and persistent cough, difficulty feeding, rapid or noisy breathing (wheezing).https://t.co/sC37AAUg7D pic.twitter.com/kBomI7C8iw
— pactstockport (@PACTSTOCKPORT) August 3, 2021
Finally, UK HCPs showed their humorous side as paramedic Harry Clark’s lighthearted tweet was retweeted 49 times. Showing that educating the general public doesn’t have to be tedious, he used a video of celebrity Gemma Collins to explain the benefits of using the asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) medication salbutamol (Ventolin).
Each month, we track the HCP conversation relating to respiratory disease. You can keep up to date with this and other pharmaceutical tracking updates, including COVID-19 developments, within the Tracking section of CREATION Knowledge, or 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 Twitter conversations of HCPs in the UK discussing respiratory disease and related terms between 21 July and 20 August 2021 using CREATION Pinpoint®.
- Between 21 July and 20 August 2021, there were 2,969 UK HCP mentions of respiratory disease and related terms, from 1,558 unique UK HCP authors.
