22.10.2024 | Tracker
US COPD Tracker: HCPs connect over COPD guidelines, novel trial data, and congress events in September
In the month of September 2024, CREATION.co® analysed 234 posts on X by 158 US healthcare professionals (HCPs) discussing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this month’s COPD tracker we delve into the key topics that captured attention, from the dissemination of novel ventilation guidelines to discussions on ground-breaking biologic therapies. By tracking this digital dialogue, we uncover how HCPs are not only keeping pace with COPD advancements but are also shaping the future of patient care through sharing their collective expertise and insights online.
COPD guidelines discussion
Many HCPs use social media to discuss and debate new clinical guidelines or medical updates. There was evidence of this in the September COPD conversation between US HCPs. A post shared by an Indian general medicine doctor containing COPD ventilation guidelines was discussed by various US HCPs, the majority of whom believed the regulations were too strict.
One pulmonary disease physician, Josh Farkas, quoted this post, stating that the infographic is “largely incorrect”. Since he is followed by over 63,000 people on X, he received many replies from fellow HCPs who shared their thoughts and contributed to a discussion. For example, Steve Carroll, an emergency medicine physician in Pennsylvania, agreed, claiming these guidelines would intubate far too many patients; Scott Aberegg, a critical care pulmonologist in Utah, asserted that the guidelines were “straight out of the 1980s”.
HCPs celebrated updates about treatment and therapy types
Medications continued to be the largest therapy type discussed by HCPs. There were 18 posts from US HCPs about COPD medications in September, a rise of 41.6% from the rolling average. These 18 posts collectively had over 1.3 million impressions. Notably, this included seven posts about Sanofi and Renegeron’s Dupixent (dupilumab), which was granted FDA approval in late September. One post from a pulmonology researcher, which was shared five times by US HCPs, described the approval as a “truly groundbreaking moment” for those suffering with COPD. This is the first ever biologic COPD medicine to be approved in the USA.
Posts concerning ventilation support spiked in September, also numbering 18 in total, an increase of 168% from the rolling average. These posts garnered over 300,000 impressions. The spike was a result of the release of the HAPPEN trial findings in JAMA; HAPPEN investigated the effect of “High-Intensity vs. Low-Intensity NPPV (noninvasive positive pressure ventilation) in COPD Exacerbations”. HCPs in the critical care community were quick to disseminate the news by sharing posts such as this from a blog site, EMCrit.
ERS2024 illustrated common HCP congress behaviour
Along with events such as drug approvals and trial results above, large international congresses often drive HCP conversation and activity on social media. This was evidenced in the COPD space in September, with US HCPs posting 17 times about the European Respiratory Society (ERS) conference, which took place from 07-11 September this year.
Amy Attaway, a pulmonologist in Ohio, regularly reshared posts on X about topics ranging from the congress meetings to poster presentations. This behaviour is frequently observed in CREATION.co’s congress tracking projects, and highlights the close-knit online relationships that exist between HCPs.
You can find more congress tracking resources on the CREATION.co website, at this link.
Most impactful HCPs discussing COPD on X in September 2024
Using CREATION.co’s unique impact score which scores HCPs based on metrics such as engagement by HCP peers, social media metrics, and number of COPD posts for that month, we identified the most impactful HCPs in the US discussing COPD in September 2024.
The most impactful US HCP talking about COPD in September was radiologist Lauren Kriger Groner. Kriger Groner shared new research about the emphysema space, and connected with fellow impactful HCP Sanjay Mukhopadhyay (see below).
Read this @RadioGraphics paper, which makes a few points abt fibrosis a/w smoking…🧵
✅in cases of CPFE: state whether emphysema w UIP vs non-UIP pattern
✅AEF/SRIF used interchangeably but may not be synonymous 🤷🏻♀️
✅AEF=emphysematous cysts + interstitial fibrosis histologically https://t.co/ue1TyUDqiw pic.twitter.com/wxw8Y004nF— Lauren Kriger Groner (@LaurenGroner) September 16, 2024
Another impactful author this month was neurosurgeon Oren Gottfried. His posts included two containing infographics about the differences between emphysema and chronic bronchitis, two types of COPD. These two posts were collectively shared over 100 times, including five shares from fellow US HCPs.
Emphysema vs chronic bronchitis pic.twitter.com/GJmcpVBKRr
— Oren Gottfried, MD (@OGdukeneurosurg) September 19, 2024
Third most impactful was pathologist Sanjay Mukhopadhyay. In September, he posted four times, predominantly sharing knowledge about emphysema and smoking while connecting with colleague and fellow impactful HCP, Lauren Kriger Groner.
In smokers, the precise mix of pigmented macrophages, ropey collagen and emphysema varies tremendously from case to case and slide to slide. So there are very few "pure" cases. This is what makes classification so difficult (other big problem is histologic overlap with UIP)
— Sanjay Mukhopadhyay (@smlungpathguy) September 16, 2024
September’s insights showed that there is a continued need to leverage digital social media platforms to stay up to date with how HCPs and their peers digitally share insights, and engage with the latest advancements in the field, ensuring that patients benefit from the most up-to-date and effective treatments available.
Each month, we track online HCP conversations on COPD. If this interests you, you can check out our Respiratory Trackers, or dive into one of our HCP Insight Trackers focused on Product Approvals or Top 50 Pharmaceutical companies.
Receive updates straight to your inbox by signing up for our monthly eJournal, CREATION Knowledge. If you want to learn more about tracking the voice of the HCP online at congress watch our webinar: Unlocking hidden HCP influence at congress.