Though users can only tweet 140 characters at a time, Twitter proves to be an accurate, up-to-date tool for tracking influenza-like illnesses, according to a study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Researchers at San Diego State University collected and analyzed tweets containing the word "flu" within a 17-mile radius of 11 select U.S. cities using a geo-targeted social media search tool.
Researchers compared the rate of tweets containing the word "flu" with weekly influenza-like illnesses reported by physicians to city and county health departments.
They found that for the majority of cities, the tweet rates and reported ILI rates followed the same trends and increased and decreased at approximately the same time.
Researchers suggest using social media to track incidences of the flu could quicken the response time for public health departments and healthcare providers, though further studies are needed to expand upon their findings.
More articles on social media:
4 ways physicians can benefit from Twitter
10 physician leaders to follow on Twitter
Healthcare workers need "friends" too: 7 statistics on RN, PA social media practices