Digital Impact & Media Presence

We live in a digital age where the Internet and social media have become a critical component when it comes to knowledge translation and engaging with target audiences. This past year, the Institute for Pain Research & Care and the National Pain Centre (NPC) set out to build their presence - both in traditional and digital media.

The overarching goals were to continue to establish ourselves as national leaders in chronic pain research; increase overall media presence; foster partnerships with other health research institutes and organizations; increase knowledge translation initiatives of institute-funded research and foster and grow relationships with potential donors.

Modest targets were set in all these areas to determine a realistic baseline to help inform future goals.

Website

This year saw the Institute and NPC undergo a redevelopment of their websites. The new design incorporated additional features to meet the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, as well as switched to a new content management system that was implemented across the McMaster campus. One of our primary objectives has been to increase the number of visitors to our website. Since their launch in February, the websites have experienced significant traffic, with the Institute receiving more than 1,000 hits each month and the NPC receiving nearly 2,000 hits.

This next year will focus on Search Engine Optimization to improve organic search rankings, as well as improving the bounce rate (number of visitors who leave after only seeing one page) for both sites.

Social Media

Building a substantial Twitter following is vital for amplifying our research messages. Twitter has been our most prominent platform for disseminating research updates and engaging with audiences. This past year saw the NPC’s Twitter account gain nearly 500 new Twitter followers - an increase of more than 40%. Our engagement rate on Twitter posts has also shown steady improvement. The last year saw our engagement rate rise to an average of 4% per impression - an engagement rate between 1% and 5% is considered to be good. Our social media channels earned more than 19,000 impressions, which was an increase of more than 80% over last year’s reporting period. These metrics suggest that our social media efforts are seeing success and that our content is resonating with followers and generating meaningful interactions. The Institute also launched a LinkedIn page as a new way to assist with knowledge translation initiatives. One of our goals for this coming year will be to better utilize this platform as a means of reaching our target audiences.

Traditional Media

A few notable highlights from the Institute and Pain Centre’s representation in traditional media this past year include Dr. Norm Buckley’s appearance on an episode of CBC’s The Current, discussing the impact of pain on the lives of those living with it and addressing the gaps in policy and pain research. The Institute also saw the publication of the first in a series of five articles with Open Access Government, addressing issues surrounding the use of opioids.