Aurangzeb Amirzeb, Ang Jian Feng Aloysius, Sirisena Dinesh
Orthopaedic Surgery, Changi General Hospital, Singapore, SGP.
Family Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore, SGP.
Cureus. 2025 May 10;17(5):e83827. doi: 10.7759/cureus.83827. eCollection 2025 May.
Introduction Instagram, the social media platform, has become a powerful medium for healthcare communication, particularly in patient education and engagement. This study examines how Instagram is utilised by orthopaedic surgeons in Singapore to disseminate health information and foster patient interaction. Methods A content analysis of publicly available Instagram posts from orthopaedic surgeons, clinics, hospitals, and professional bodies in Singapore was conducted. Posts published between March 1, 2023, and March 1, 2025, were categorised as educational, promotional, or engagement-focused. Key engagement metrics and thematic content were analysed. Results A total of 152 posts from orthopaedic accounts in Singapore were analysed. Educational posts constituted 76.3% of the content (n = 116), focusing on topics such as osteoporosis prevention and joint replacement surgery. Promotional posts accounted for 21.1% (n = 32), primarily advertising orthopaedic services, while patient engagement posts made up 2.6% (n = 4), including patient testimonials. Educational posts received the highest engagement (averaging 13.5 likes per post), followed by promotional (13.0 likes) and patient engagement posts (9.75 likes). Conclusion Instagram is a valuable platform for orthopaedic patient education and engagement in Singapore. The strong preference for visual educational content (e.g. infographics and procedural videos) aligns with Singapore's multilingual society, where visual aids can transcend language barriers and improve comprehension. However, the prevalence of promotional content raises concerns about the commercialisation of healthcare on social media. This study underscores the need for local professional guidelines to optimise the use of Instagram in orthopaedic practice.
引言 社交媒体平台Instagram已成为医疗保健沟通的强大媒介,尤其是在患者教育和参与方面。本研究探讨了新加坡的骨科医生如何利用Instagram传播健康信息并促进患者互动。
方法 对新加坡骨科医生、诊所、医院和专业机构在Instagram上公开的帖子进行了内容分析。将2023年3月1日至2025年3月1日发布的帖子分为教育类、推广类或专注于互动类。分析了关键互动指标和主题内容。
结果 共分析了新加坡骨科账户的152篇帖子。教育类帖子占内容的76.3%(n = 116),重点关注骨质疏松症预防和关节置换手术等主题。推广类帖子占21.1%(n = 32),主要是宣传骨科服务,而患者互动类帖子占2.6%(n = 4),包括患者推荐。教育类帖子的互动量最高(平均每篇帖子有13.5个赞),其次是推广类(13.0个赞)和患者互动类帖子(9.75个赞)。
结论 在新加坡,Instagram是骨科患者教育和互动的宝贵平台。对视觉教育内容(如图表和手术视频)的强烈偏好与新加坡的多语言社会相契合,在这个社会中,视觉辅助工具可以跨越语言障碍并提高理解能力。然而,推广内容的盛行引发了对社交媒体上医疗保健商业化的担忧。本研究强调了制定本地专业指南以优化在骨科实践中使用Instagram的必要性。