An empirical note on classification of patients on the basis of their beliefs related to branded pharmaceutical drugs Social media sites

Abstract

Patients are increasingly using social media to search for health information. Most of the studies have used the term "DTCA" or “Direct to consumer advertisement” as a general term for a variety of different types of digital channels. Therefore, the understanding of the use of certain social media is still a relatively unexplored topic. This is due to the fact that the role of social media in seeking health information has grown exponentially and patients are increasingly relying on social media to make choices. However, when it comes to understanding the exact reasons for using a particular drug or treatment, there is relatively little research undertaken so far. The purpose of this study is to determine if it is possible to classify patients’ on the basis of beliefs related to branded pharmaceutical drugs social media sites.  The study followed a quantitative approach. The sample size is 1500 patients from Kolkata, India. The results indicate that there is moderate possibility to predict tendency and trust is social media on the basis of attitude towards select positive and negative factors.