Abstract
ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence, authorship, and types of fertility-related information shared on Instagram targeted toward a new patient interested in fertility options using hashtag and content analysis. Secondary outcomes included comparison of post content stratified by author type (physicians versus patients).MethodsA list of ten hashtags consisting of fertility terms for the new patient was derived. Content analysis was performed in April 2019 on the top 50 and most recent 50 posts for each hashtag to determine authorship and content type. The distribution of fertility terms in posts made by physicians was compared to that of patients and differences in use of terms were analyzed.ResultsOur search yielded 3,393,636 posts. The two most popular hashtags were IVF (N = 912,049), and Infertility (N = 852,939). Authorship of the top posts for each hashtag (N = 1000) were as follows: patients (67 %), physicians (10 %), for-profit commercial groups (6.0 %), allied health professional (4.5 %), professional societies (1 %), and other (11 %). Of these posts, 60 % related to patient experiences, 10 % advertisements, 10 % outreach, and 8 % educational. Physicians were more likely to author posts related to oocyte cryopreservation compared to IVF, while patients were more likely to author posts about IVF (p < 0.0001).ConclusionsOver 3 million posts related to fertility were authored on Instagram. A majority of fertility posts are being mobilized by patients to publicly display and share their personal experiences. Concurrent with the rising utilization of planned oocyte cryopreservation, there is a trend toward physicians educating their patients about the process using social media as a platform. Physician participation on social media may offer a low-cost platform for networking and connecting with patients. Future studies examining the educational quality of posts by author type should be explored.
Highlights
Social media has rapidly become an integral part of our daily routines
A list of ten hashtags consisting of fertility terms were derived which included: In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Infertility, Fertility, IVF Journey, Infertility Awareness, IVF Support, Fertility Awareness, IVF Success, Egg Freezing and Egg Retrieval
60 % related to patient experiences, 10 % advertisements, 10 % outreach, 8 % educational, and 6 % personal posts unrelated to diagnoses (Table 2)
Summary
Social media has rapidly become an integral part of our daily routines. Communication via user-generated content enables interaction and collaboration among healthcare communities and patients [1]. Patients have the opportunity to utilize social media to inquire information about their symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Instagram is a free online social networking service that is currently used by 67 % of American young adults aged 18–29 years, and 47 % of adults aged 30–49 [1]. Users can follow specific hashtags and any number of accounts to view a steady stream of personalized content. Users can search by hashtag to view desired content posted in aggregate and “share”, “like”, or “comment” on posts [4]. A recent poll showed that the average user spends 21.2 minutes on Instagram each day, with the 18–29 age group spending the most time at 30 minutes [5]
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