title: Healthcare hashtag index development: Identifying global impact in social media.
abstract: Create an index of global reach for healthcare hashtags and tweeters therein, filterable by topic of interest.
  
  
  
  For this proof-of-concept study we focused on the field of Primary Care and Family Medicine. Six hashtags were selected based on their importance, from the ones included in the 'Healthcare Hashtag Project'. Hashtag Global Reach (HGR) was calculated using the additive aggregation of five weighted, normalized indicator variables: number of impressions, tweets, tweeters, user locations, and user languages. Data were obtained for the last quarter of 2014 and first quarter of 2015 using Symplur Signals. Topic-specific HGR were calculated for the top 10 terms and for sets of quotes mapped after a thematic analysis. Individual Global Reach, IGR, was calculated across hashtags as additive indexes of three indicators: replies, retweets and mentions.
  
  
  
  Using the HGR score we were able to rank six selected hashtags and observe their performance throughout the study period. We found that #PrimaryCare and #FMRevolution had the highest HGR score in both quarters; interestingly, #FMChangeMakers experienced a marked increase in its global visibility during the study period. "Health Policy" was the commonest theme, while "Care", "Family" and "Health" were the most common terms.
  
  
  
  This is the first study describing an altmetric hashtag index. Assuming analytical soundness, the Index might prove generalizable to other healthcare hashtags. If released as a real-time business intelligence tool with customizable settings, it could aid publishing and strategic decisions by netizens, organizations, and analysts. IGR could also serve to augment academic evaluation and professional development.
  
  
  
  Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using an index on the global reach of healthcare hashtags and tweeters.
authors.affiliation: Fânzeres Family Health Unit, Praceta da Barrosa, s/n, 4510-513 Fânzeres, Gondomar, Portugal. Electronic address: luisdepinhocosta@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pinho-Costa
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Jos & Jos University Teaching Hospital, P.M.B. 2076, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yakubu
authors.affiliation: Robinson Health Clinic, Team 11722 Tagayta Drive Ft. Bragg, NC 28310, USA.
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoedebecke
authors.affiliation: Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Centre for Health Informatics, Level 6, 75 Talavera Road, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laranjo
authors.affiliation: Austrian Association of General Practice and Family Medicine, Grenzgasse 11, 3100 St. Pölten, Austria.
authors.forename: Christofer Patrick
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Reichel
authors.affiliation: Department of Family & Preventive Medicine, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley 205 E Toronto Ave, McAllen, TX 78503, USA.
authors.forename: Maria Del C
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Colon-Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Unit of Family Medicine, Department of Social Sciences and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana Luísa
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Neves
authors.affiliation: Cabinet médical des Aygalades, 57 chemin de Saint Antoine à Saint Joseph, 13015 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Hassna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Errami
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D011643:Publishing; D061108:Social Media; D009626:Terminology as Topic
keywords: Bibliometrics; Family practice; Internet; Primary health care; Social media