Abstract
Every patient is embedded in a social network of interpersonal connections that influence health outcomes. Neurologists routinely need to engage with a patient's family and friends due to the nature of the illness and its social sequelae. Social isolation is a potent determinant of poor health and neurobiological changes, and its effects can be comparable to those of traditional risk factors. It would seem reasonable, therefore, to map and follow the personal networks of neurology patients. This approach reveals influential people, their habits, and linkage patterns that could facilitate or limit health behaviours. Personal network information can be particularly valuable to enhance risk factor management, medication adherence, and functional recovery. Here, we propose an agenda for research and clinical practice that includes mapping the networks of patients with diverse neurological disorders, evaluating the impact of the networks on patient outcomes, and testing network interventions.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Selena Lee for producing the network video supplement. We also gratefully acknowledge all the patients who contributed to the research contained within the manuscript.
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All authors researched data for the article and contributed equally to discussions of the content. All authors wrote the article and reviewed and/or edited the manuscript before submission.
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Supplementary information
Supplementary Video 1
The video shows the change in a patient's social network at 3 and 6 months after stroke. Orange lines are strong ties and blue lines are weak ties. (MP4 211 kb)
Glossary
- Diversity of gender index
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The amount of gender variation in the network, ranging from zero, where all members are the same gender, to one, where there are equal numbers across all gender categories.
- Diversity of race index
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The amount of racial variation in the network, ranging from zero, where all members are the same race, to one, where there are equal numbers across all racial categories.
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Dhand, A., Luke, D., Lang, C. et al. Social networks and neurological illness. Nat Rev Neurol 12, 605–612 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2016.119
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2016.119
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