Digital Media for Health and the European Medicines Agency

The European Medicine Agency is today holding a Workshop on Social Media for its

Human Scientific Committees' Working Parties with Patients’ and Consumers’ Organisations (PCWP) and Healthcare Professionals’ Organisations. 

Social media is a group of electronic communication tools that have the potential to change how healthcare professionals, researchers, patients and consumers manage and share information in the digital age, including on the safe and effective use of medicines.

The Workshop opened with a keynote talk by M-K Looi, Wellcome Trust, on "Going viral: the state of play and potential of social media in 2016". This was followed by talks by S. Labbe, communications expert from the EMA and notes on experience of use of social media by the USA FDA presented by 2 FDA pharmacists – C. Chew and K Chiu.
 

The EMA Social Media topic group had previously identified areas and patterns of use of social media by PCWP and HCPWP member organisations in relation to the EMA and to their other key professional areas of interest and activity. In a new survey conducted over the summer of 2016, SWOT feedback has been obtained from health organisations currently active in use of social media and a further group of  organisations not currently active in use of social media.

An analysis of findings of the SWOT analysis will be presented and discussed followed by break-out sessions on best practice in use of social media experts. Further sessions will consider how digital information could be relevant to regulatory decision-making.  

The sessions are being recorded with presentations to be made available on the EMA website.