Kawchuk Greg, Hartvigsen Jan, Innes Stan, Simpson J Keith, Gushaty Brian
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Chiropr Man Therap. 2020 May 11;28(1):24. doi: 10.1186/s12998-020-00314-9.
Internet analytics are increasingly being integrated into public health regulation. One specific application is to monitor compliance of website and social media activity with respect to jurisdictional regulations. These data may then identify breaches of compliance and inform disciplinary actions. Our study aimed to evaluate the novel use of internet analytics by a Canadian chiropractic regulator to determine their registrants compliance with three regulations related to specific health conditions, pregnancy conditions and most recently, claims of improved immunity during the COVID-19 crisis.
A customized internet search tool (Market Review Tool, MRT) was used by the College of Chiropractors of British Columbia (CCBC), Canada to audit registrants websites and social media activity. The audits extracted words whose use within specific contexts is not permitted under CCBC guidelines. The MRT was first used in October of 2018 to identify words related to specific health conditions. The MRT was again used in December 2019 for words related to pregnancy and most recently in March 2020 for words related to COVID-19. In these three MRT applications, potential cases of word misuse were evaluated by the regulator who then notified the practitioner to comply with existing regulations by a specific date. The MRT was then used on that date to determine compliance. Those found to be non-compliant were referred to the regulator's inquiry committee. We mapped this process and reported the outcomes with permission of the regulator.
In September 2018, 250 inappropriate mentions of specific health conditions were detected from approximately 1250 registrants with 2 failing to comply. The second scan for pregnancy related terms of approximately1350 practitioners revealed 83 inappropriate mentions. Following notification, all 83 cases were compliant within the specified timeframe. Regarding COVID-19 related words, 97 inappropriate mentions of the word "immune" were detected from 1350 registrants with 7 cases of non-compliance.
Internet analytics are an effective way for regulators to monitor internet activity to protect the public from misleading statements. The processes described were effective at bringing about rapid practitioner compliance. Given the increasing volume of internet activity by healthcare professionals, internet analytics are an important addition for health care regulators to protect the public they serve.
互联网分析正越来越多地被纳入公共卫生监管之中。一个具体应用是监测网站和社交媒体活动是否符合管辖规定。这些数据随后可识别违规行为并为纪律处分提供依据。我们的研究旨在评估加拿大脊椎按摩疗法监管机构对互联网分析的创新性应用，以确定其注册人员是否遵守与特定健康状况、怀孕状况以及最近在新冠疫情期间声称提高免疫力相关的三项规定。
加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省脊椎按摩疗法学院（CCBC）使用定制的互联网搜索工具（市场审查工具，MRT）来审核注册人员的网站和社交媒体活动。审核提取了CCBC指南不允许在特定语境中使用的词汇。MRT于2018年10月首次用于识别与特定健康状况相关的词汇。2019年12月再次使用MRT来查找与怀孕相关的词汇，最近在2020年3月用于查找与新冠疫情相关的词汇。在这三次MRT应用中，监管机构对潜在的词汇误用案例进行了评估，然后通知从业者在特定日期前遵守现有规定。然后在该日期使用MRT来确定是否合规。那些被认定为违规的人员被提交给监管机构的调查委员会。我们绘制了这一过程，并在获得监管机构许可的情况下报告了结果。
2018年9月，在约1250名注册人员中检测到250条不恰当提及特定健康状况的内容，其中2人未遵守规定。对约1350名从业者进行的第二次与怀孕相关词汇扫描发现了83条不恰当提及。通知后，所有83个案例在规定时间内均符合规定。关于与新冠疫情相关的词汇，在1350名注册人员中检测到97条不恰当提及“免疫”一词的内容，有7起违规案例。
互联网分析是监管机构监测互联网活动以保护公众免受误导性陈述影响的有效方式。所描述的流程在促使从业者迅速遵守规定方面是有效的。鉴于医疗保健专业人员的互联网活动量不断增加，互联网分析是医疗保健监管机构保护其服务公众的一项重要补充。
