Social Media Use of Solid Organ Transplant Patients: Sharing Unmet Needs

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the posts of patients with solid organ transplant Facebook groups and to reveal the most common problems experienced by them. The study was conducted with a comprehensive search of solid organ transplant patients' Facebook groups. Posts of the participants were scanned with the keywords “organ transplant patients”, “life after organ transplant”, “organ transplant information”, “kidney transplant”, and “liver transplant”. Qualitative data were evaluated by inductive content analysis. All words of the post were analyzed in the MAXQDA (version 11) software program. There were 18,722 users in 10 groups related to solid organ transplantation and 478 posts were shared. Five main themes were determined: Seeking information/giving information, seeking support/providing support, seeking a partner for cross-transplantation of those waiting for organ transplants, financial issues and experiences related to COVID-19. It has been determined that 59.8% of individuals most frequently refer to Facebook groups for information seeking/giving information. The posts are seen as an opportunity to share experiences, to seek support/provide support, and help from others with similar experiences. Social media can be used by health professionals to inform individuals and reduce their anxiety by examining and participating in disease-specific groups.