Yolanda Mageto M.D.

Mageto, Y. (2019). “The Increasing Use of Social Media for Medical Information: Should Healthcare Providers Be Concerned?” Ann Am Thorac Soc 16(5): 544-546.

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During the last decade, social media use among adults in the United States has increased exponentially. Intuitively, we might assume that the increase in use primarily involves Gen Xers (born 1965–1980) and younger generations. However, Traditionalists (born 1900–1945) and Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964) have also been noted to have a significant uptick in their use of social media. Usage has increased from 2% in 2005 to 25% in 2015. Many members of this generation have become increasingly savvy with their smartphones, using them to record conversations in physician’s offices as well as looking up information on the Internet. The most commonly used platforms are Facebook, Google, and YouTube. These same generations (Traditionalists and Baby Boomers) have increasingly turned to the Internet, accessing websites, viewing videos, and discussing their medical information online with other patients, caregivers, and anyone else who desires to chime in. YouTube and other web media platforms were never designed as a platform for medical research or medical education, but by default, they have become a platform for reporting/sharing research, medical education, and patient support. This invites the question: Why should we be concerned about what is posted on YouTube? If one simply views it as an entertainment platform, then it should not be an issue. But because it has become a platform for healthcare, it is past time to have additional discussions/research going forward, developing tools to assess content and use of said content, and holding those who post inaccurate and harmful information accountable. (Excerpt from text, p. 544; no abstract available.)

Morisset, J., Y. Mageto and G. Raghu (2018). “Mortality in interstitial lung disease: do race and skin colour matter?” Eur Respir J 51(6).

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Adegunsoye et al. have described how African-Americans with interstitial lung disease (ILD) exhibit a unique clinical phenotype and raised several further challenging and exciting questions about the rationale behind those differences. Their report surfaces important considerations in understanding the incidence, prevalence, clinical manifestation and outcomes of patients with ILD of different race, colour and ethnicity, besides cultural, socioeconomic and regional variabilities. It is hoped that this work will provoke studies aiming to better understand the role of race and ethnicity along with the intrinsic and extrinsic factors in the individuals manifesting ILD. Further research exploring the mechanistic and pathobiological pathways responsible for the clinical difference between races and ultimately leading to a more comprehensive and personalised care of patients with ILD is warranted. (Excerpt from text, p. 3; no abstract available.)