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Craniofacial Surgery-Related Hashtag Utilisation on Instagram.
Sarah Kilcoyne1, Constance Rogers, Gregory P L Thomas
1Oxford Craniofacial Unit, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
|March 26, 2021
Summary
Instagram facilitates connection and experience sharing for craniofacial surgery patients and families. Healthcare professionals can leverage Instagram to provide education and support for craniofacial abnormalities.
Area of Science:
- Medical Social Media Analysis
- Digital Health Communication
- Craniofacial Surgery Patient Engagement
Background:
- Social media is a growing source of health information for patients, parents, and carers.
- Instagram, a visual platform with over one billion users, has limited research in healthcare contexts.
- This study focuses on Instagram's role in craniofacial surgery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utilization of Instagram in the context of craniofacial surgery.
- To analyze the content and engagement patterns of craniofacial surgery-related posts.
- To understand how patients, parents, and surgeons use Instagram for craniofacial surgery.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 12 Instagram hashtags related to craniofacial surgery.
- Quantitative and qualitative data collection from top nine posts per hashtag.
- Thematic analysis of post captions and comments, excluding irrelevant or non-English content.
Main Results:
- Over 151,000 posts identified, with #craniofacial being most popular.
- Parents and surgeons were primary content creators, posting distinct types of images.
- Parent posts focused on patients, surgeon posts on professionals; parent posts received significantly higher engagement.
Conclusions:
- Instagram serves as a platform for individuals and families with rare disorders to connect and share experiences.
- Craniofacial surgery information shared on Instagram can be utilized by healthcare professionals for patient and family education and support.

