What Do Patients Tweet About Their Mammography Experience?

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Public Health
• Social Media Analysis

Background:

• Mammography is crucial for early breast cancer detection.
• Patient experiences can influence screening adherence.
• Social media platforms offer insights into patient perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze patient experiences with mammography shared on Twitter.
• To identify common themes and sentiments expressed by patients.

Main Methods:

• A total of 464 tweets using the #mammogram hashtag were reviewed.
• Tweets were collected over a six-month period (July-December 2015).
• Content analysis was performed to identify recurring themes.

Main Results:

• Most tweets (49.6%) were posted after the mammogram.
• Key themes included breast compression, encouragement for screening, and perceived health importance.
• Humor was present in 31.9% of tweets, often related to breast compression.
• First-time mammograms were associated with more discussion on compression and the experience being "not that bad".

Conclusions:

• Twitter serves as a platform for women to share mammography experiences, including positive aspects and mutual encouragement.
• Social media analysis can provide valuable insights into patient perspectives on mammography.
• Further research into social media's role in promoting screening adherence is warranted.