What is said about #donateliver or #liverdonor? Reflexive thematic analysis of Twitter (X) posts from 2012 to 2022

Qin Xiang Ng ^1,2,3, Yu Liang Lim ⁴, Xiaohui Xin ⁵

¹Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore. ng.qin.xiang@u.nus.edu.
²Health Services Research Unit, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore. ng.qin.xiang@u.nus.edu.
³SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, Singapore, Singapore. ng.qin.xiang@u.nus.edu.
⁴Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
⁵Health Services Research Unit, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
⁶Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore.
⁷SingHealth Duke-NUS Medicine Academic Clinical Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
⁸Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Singapore General Hospital and National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
⁹SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, Singapore, Singapore.
¹⁰Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, USA.

⁰Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore. ng.qin.xiang@u.nus.edu.

Bmc Public Health +

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July 16, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Analysis of public Twitter (X) data reveals a critical liver donor shortage and highlights living donor experiences post-surgery. Further research into these perspectives is vital for improving organ donation rates.

Area Of Science

Medical Social Science
Public Health
Transplantation Research

Background

Qualitative studies on liver transplant recipients and living donors exist but often use traditional interviews.
A gap remains in understanding the broader public discourse surrounding living liver donation.
This study explores public conversations on living liver donation via social media.

Purpose Of The Study

To analyze public discourse on living liver donation using Twitter (X) data.
To identify key themes and stakeholder roles in the living liver donation conversation.
To inform policy improvements for addressing the liver donor shortage.

Main Methods

Collected original English tweets with #donateliver or #liverdonor hashtags (2012-2022).
Selected tweets from individual users with authentic human names for data credibility.
Applied reflexive thematic analysis and the Health Policy Triangle framework.

Main Results

Analyzed 361 unique tweets, identifying two major themes.
Theme 1: Persistent shortage of liver donors and recipient desperation.
Theme 2: Living donor post-surgery experiences (scar visibility, return to activity).

Conclusions

Public discourse highlights the urgent need for more liver donors.
Understanding donor and recipient experiences is crucial for improving organ donation.
Further research is needed to address the critical shortage of liver donors.

Keywords:

Liver donor Living donor Qualitative study Social media Twitter X

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