Social Media Analysis in the Czech Republic: Tracking Influenza-Like Illnesses
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Abstract
Background: Despite the availability of specialist information on health services on social media, the use of Facebook to search for information and the number of Twitter users in the Czech Republic are still on a lower level in comparison with foreign countries. Social media is an area undergoing dynamic development which offers new opportunities to health services. This development is determined by a change of behaviour of both users and institutions trying to react to the new situation.
In the Czech Republic, social media is a new topic and the professional public is only starting to discover its opportunities. This analysis has been enabled by the existence of specialized software analysing social media in the Czech language. Social media in event tracking has been used previously in the Czech Republic, but never in health services.
Objective: The aim of this study was to verify the existing findings and results of tracking opportunities from abroad, regarding the analysis and prediction of spreading the influenza virus based on the social media data in the specific environment of the Czech Republic, with the data provided only in the Czech language.
Methods: Based on foreign studies and the analysis of keywords, the keywords were chosen. The tracking took place between December 2012 and April 2013. First, the records were filtered according to the keywords and then explored using a straightforward semantic analysis. Then the results were compared with both the results of Google flu trends and official data from Regional Public Health Authorities in the Czech Republic on the occurrence of influenza with the date confirming the influenza epidemic. The correlation between these data was studied.
Results: Research in progress. More than 40,000 records, not only from forums and discussions, but also from Facebook, Twitter and other media, were analysed using specialized software enabling the use of the Czech language. Preliminary results already show a correlation between the data.
Conclusions: Research in progress. In comparison with foreign countries, the use of social media in the Czech Republic is specific since forums and discussions still have a significant role. The dynamics of the results development depending on time corresponds with both the social situation (holidays) and expected development (sharp increase, gradual decline), and the change of the character of the spreading diseases (the record change in terms of syndromes). The acquired data can be used to demonstrate the importance of social media in health services in the Czech Republic and although they can never replace the work of Regional Public Health Authorities they could prove useful in epidemiological surveillance.
Since the results bring the first comparison of epidemiological data on the occurrence of influenza-like illnesses with the results of social media analysis, it is necessary to continue data collection. Suggestions are made within the paper as to how to make further analyses more accurate.
In the Czech Republic, social media is a new topic and the professional public is only starting to discover its opportunities. This analysis has been enabled by the existence of specialized software analysing social media in the Czech language. Social media in event tracking has been used previously in the Czech Republic, but never in health services.
Objective: The aim of this study was to verify the existing findings and results of tracking opportunities from abroad, regarding the analysis and prediction of spreading the influenza virus based on the social media data in the specific environment of the Czech Republic, with the data provided only in the Czech language.
Methods: Based on foreign studies and the analysis of keywords, the keywords were chosen. The tracking took place between December 2012 and April 2013. First, the records were filtered according to the keywords and then explored using a straightforward semantic analysis. Then the results were compared with both the results of Google flu trends and official data from Regional Public Health Authorities in the Czech Republic on the occurrence of influenza with the date confirming the influenza epidemic. The correlation between these data was studied.
Results: Research in progress. More than 40,000 records, not only from forums and discussions, but also from Facebook, Twitter and other media, were analysed using specialized software enabling the use of the Czech language. Preliminary results already show a correlation between the data.
Conclusions: Research in progress. In comparison with foreign countries, the use of social media in the Czech Republic is specific since forums and discussions still have a significant role. The dynamics of the results development depending on time corresponds with both the social situation (holidays) and expected development (sharp increase, gradual decline), and the change of the character of the spreading diseases (the record change in terms of syndromes). The acquired data can be used to demonstrate the importance of social media in health services in the Czech Republic and although they can never replace the work of Regional Public Health Authorities they could prove useful in epidemiological surveillance.
Since the results bring the first comparison of epidemiological data on the occurrence of influenza-like illnesses with the results of social media analysis, it is necessary to continue data collection. Suggestions are made within the paper as to how to make further analyses more accurate.
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