Falcon Robbi Miguel G, Babaran Hannah G, Caragay Beatrice Dominique B, Cruz Rianna Patricia S, Ferrer Alyssa Nadine A, Gonzalez Bryan Allen Q, Isip-Tan Iris Thiele C
College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Medical Informatics Unit, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Endocrine. 2025 May 13. doi: 10.1007/s12020-025-04255-2.
Thyroid diseases are a global health concern. The thyroid gland functions for homeostasis and metabolism, implying its disorders significantly affect quality of life. Effective long-term management is essential, with social support playing a critical role. Online communication has expanded social support options, enhancing patient self-management.
This study qualitatively explores the dynamics of social support exchanged among patients seeking information on thyroid diseases in an endocrinologist-moderated Facebook page. It aims to identify and classify the prevailing themes of Facebook comments for social support on thyroid disease-related posts on a physician-moderated Facebook page, and explore the meaning of these experiences.
This qualitative study used reflexive thematic analysis on posts related to thyroid diseases on the Endocrine Witch Facebook page from January 1, 2019, to March 31, 2023. The analysis followed Braun and Clarke's six steps: familiarization, coding, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and discussing the implications.
A total of 4327 comments were analyzed, revealing three major themes: healthcare-related, personal experiences, and page moderator-directed comments. The healthcare-related theme included sub-themes of health information on thyroid diseases, clinic hours, and diagnostic and treatment clarifications related to the management of thyroid disorders and the general work-up done. The personal theme involved reactions towards the information shared and other patients' stories, anecdotes of patient's stories and encounters with thyroid diseases, and referrals to peers for information sharing. The page moderator-directed theme included comments of gratitude for sharing information and clarifying common public health concerns. These findings further reinforces the growing significance of social media's role in healthcare, particularly in augmenting peer and social support, especially for patients with chronic conditions such as thyroid diseases.
Online social support environments provide valuable information and emotional encouragement for patients, especially for highly prevalent chronic diseases, where long-term outcomes are typically shaped over time. Further exploration of online thyroid patient interactions and the role of healthcare professionals is essential to enhance healthcare strategies and overall care quality.
甲状腺疾病是一个全球性的健康问题。甲状腺负责体内平衡和新陈代谢，这意味着其功能紊乱会显著影响生活质量。有效的长期管理至关重要，社会支持起着关键作用。在线交流扩展了社会支持的选择，增强了患者的自我管理能力。
本研究定性探讨了在由内分泌科医生主持的Facebook页面上，寻求甲状腺疾病信息的患者之间社会支持交流的动态情况。其目的是识别和分类在医生主持的Facebook页面上，与甲状腺疾病相关帖子的Facebook评论中关于社会支持的主要主题，并探究这些经历的意义。
这项定性研究对2019年1月1日至2023年3月31日期间，内分泌科女巫Facebook页面上与甲状腺疾病相关的帖子进行了反思性主题分析。分析遵循布劳恩和克拉克的六个步骤：熟悉、编码、寻找主题、回顾主题、定义和命名主题，以及讨论影响。
共分析了4327条评论，揭示了三个主要主题：医疗保健相关、个人经历以及针对页面管理员的评论。医疗保健相关主题包括甲状腺疾病健康信息、门诊时间，以及与甲状腺疾病管理相关的诊断和治疗说明及所做的一般检查等子主题。个人主题涉及对所分享信息和其他患者故事的反应、患者故事及与甲状腺疾病遭遇的轶事，以及向同龄人推荐信息共享。针对页面管理员的主题包括对分享信息和澄清常见公共卫生问题表示感谢的评论。这些发现进一步强化了社交媒体在医疗保健中日益重要的作用，特别是在增强同伴和社会支持方面，尤其是对于甲状腺疾病等慢性病患者。
在线社会支持环境为患者提供了有价值的信息和情感鼓励，特别是对于高度流行的慢性病，其长期结果通常是随着时间形成的。进一步探索在线甲状腺患者互动以及医疗保健专业人员的作用，对于加强医疗保健策略和整体护理质量至关重要。
