Machine learning techniques can help rapidly mine text to find insights.

1. 1
The Conversationalist Agency
Mining Online Patient Voices

2. Social Listening Overview and Methodology
Why do social listening?
• Understand personal motivations for using social media as a platform for discussion
on diseases globally and locally
• Identify key websites/forums where patient conversations are taking place
• Understand patient-centric themes, language, vocabulary and unmet needs
• Inform the strategic drivers and tactical roll-out of the communications programme
• Create a benchmark for the influence of any future campaigns by creating a baseline
How do we conduct social listening?
• We start by scanning across news, forums, Twitter, blogs, and other social media
• We then analyse the data to search for patients, caregivers, HCPs
• We use the data to learn topics from the data and sentiment/ emotion
• Supervised machine learning and word to vec are a few of the techniques used to
find patients, understand key topics and emotions in an automated way
• Key topics “learned” from the data can then guide healthcare organizations in
deciding strategy and better supporting patients and their needs

3. Sample Output
OVERVIEW: Key Themes of Fertility Treatment
Keywords: Experience Sharing
Description: patients sharing their
experiences with each other, such as IVF, IUI,
and ISCI
“2ww, why does time stand still?!? We were told to
wait the full 2 weeks to test, which will be next
Monday, but I might do one early....Although I'm a
bit scared of a negative result so might just hold out
till next Monday”
Groups Baby Centre
Keywords: Advice Seeking
Description: instead of consulting HCPs,
patients tended to feel more comfortable
asking others on forums for advice
“I'm desperate. I have had two failed ICSI attempts and
was told to give up trying. I'm coming 42 and I can't give
up. I have bought Clomid over the counter from a
pharmacy in Qatar. Can anyone give me advice on
using it? Also has anyone alternatives I can try?”
Fertility Friends Forum
Keywords: Funding and Cost
Description: patients discussing their
funding options and current bills they had to
take on for their fertility treatments
“The cost of IVF is a scary thing on top of all the
other stresses of infertility. But do some research.
There are bulk bill and no frill clinics out there that
have success. Wishing you the best of luck hope
you can hop on the roller coaster soon”
Baby Center Community Forums
Keywords: Emotional Support
Description: patients encouraging each
other for boosting moral of coping with
different treatment stages
So please make sure your weight is correct don't let
them see you for 6 months then put you off Wish
you loads of luck and hope for the best for you
please let me know what happens
Coffee House Net Mums Forum

4. Sample Output
PATIENT JOURNEY: Fertility Treatment - Unmet Needs
Long wait for appointments and booking with specialists
Need to boost trust, confidence, and patience for current treatment programs
Requirement for better sources of information through trusted channels and sources

5. Sample Output
PATIENT JOURNEY: IVF - Themes & Examples
Newly Pregnant Women sharing their excitement and treatment journey
Body weight discussions and weight control to prepare for IVF treatment
IVF clinic discussion for going domestic or abroad based on success rates & clinic
standards

6. Sample output
PATIENT JOURNEY: Summary For a Disease (Lupus)

7. Treatment/Care
• Pirefenidone, Nintedanib and OFEV were mentioned as drugs that
are approved for treating IPF
• Apart from drugs, users also shared posted about the importance
of trained nurses and consultants for providing care to IPF patients
• Also, the lack of palliative care for IPF patients was a matter of
concern
• In few cases, caregivers enquired about the correct treatment
option available
Sharing Experience
• Some Caregivers shared their experience with IPF as their loved
ones were suffering from the same
• Also, many users retweeted about presentations and stories
shared by Caregivers and Patients sharing their experience of being
diagnosed with IPF and living with it
Key Topics of Conversation
Sample Output:
Topic Level Deep Dive (IPF)
N=~6,000
Data from June 2015-May 2016 in the UK using Brandwatch

8. Patient/Caregiver sentiment and behavior
Stakeholder Behavior Stakeholder Sentiment*
24%
3%
56%
18%
Seeking Advice Sharing Advice
Sharing Experience Informing
• Caregivers were the most dominant group, they mostly discussed about their experience living with IPF patients, some
caregivers of recently diagnosed patients also sought advice related to care and treatment
• Users were mostly anxious about the possible next steps after diagnosis of the disease and were also sad knowing the fact
that their loved ones were suffering from such a serious condition
9%
24%
18%
6%
21%
24%
Angry Anxious Hopefull
Joy Neutral Sad
Sample Output
Caregivers/ Patient Behavior Summary (IPF)
N=~200 N=~200
*Emotions categorized using Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions, a Behavioral Science Scale
Data from June 2015-May 2016 in the UK using Brandwatch

9. Treatment:
• In most cases, people were seeking advice on possible treatment
options with only a few references of taking Vitamin E during
Pulmonary Fibrosis
• No conversations around drug and medications were observed
Diagnosis
• On Twitter, caregivers shared the grief on knowing about their
recently diagnosed relative, they expressed their frustration and
mentioned how helpless they feel
Cause:
• In only a few cases users mentioned the possible causes that could
have lead to their Lung condition like prolonged exposure to allergens
Others
• In few cases users mentioned relatives suffering from the disease,
without providing many other details
Sample Output
Key discussion areas by Patients/Caregivers (IPF)
N=~200
Data from June 2015-May 2016 in the UK using Brandwatch

10. 10
COMPANY
NAME1234 Long Beach
Los Angeles
California
OUR EMAIL
letschat@conversationalistagency.com
OUR PHONE
+44 (0) 203 282 7172
OUR WEBSITE
ConversationalistAgency.com