Medical Accuracy of Patient Discussions in Oculoplastic Surgery on Social Media

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterize major topics of discussion in oculoplastic surgery on a social media forum and to evaluate the medical accuracy of the content discussed on these platforms.Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of oculoplastics key search terms was performed on 2 active forums (r/ PlasticSurgery and r/CosmeticSurgery) on Reddit. The content analysis involved the top posts in Reddit's history from 2008 to 2022. Medical accuracy was determined by actively practicing, board-certified, and fellowship-trained oculoplastic surgeons.Results: The most common topics of patient discussions involved inquiring for advice regarding a procedure (44%) and sharing before-and-after photos (34%). The most common topics of patient discussions included providing support, encouragement, or sympathy for a patient (80%) and the cost of a procedure (62%). Misunderstanding of the medical pathophysiology of the patient's condition was seen in 68% of discussions on this social media platform. Medically inaccurate information was seen in 31% of all analyzed statements. When the type of physician performing a given procedure was disclosed, half reported an oculoplastic surgeon performed the surgery.Conclusions: The social media platform, Reddit, is a popular source of advice and information for current and prospective oculoplastic surgery patients. Such social media forums should be used as a sort of psychosocial and psychological support rather than as a primary source of medical information.

Public and Physicians Perception of Oculoplastic Surgery Subspecialty in Saudi Arabia

“…Although oculoplastic surgery subspeciality is gaining more interest in recent years, there seems to be a misconception of its scope among physicians and the public. This misconception can be attributed to multiple factors including and not limited to surgical overlap between oculoplastic surgery and other surgical specialties and the growing effect of social media on 1,8,9 The significance of a true consistent image of oculoplastic surgery can be reflected greatly in health care, especially in referral patterns between physicians which require knowledge of vital aspects in the field. Furthermore, awareness of the role of an oculoplastic surgeon among the public has a major influence on seeking medical advice.…”

“…Furthermore, awareness of the role of an oculoplastic surgeon among the public has a major influence on seeking medical advice. Misconceptions of plastic surgery and facial plastic surgery were documented by multiple studies in the literature, 3,8,[10][11][12][13] and this could be reflected in oculoplastic surgery as they share a common scope which is aesthetic surgeries. Low levels of knowledge in oculoplastic surgery have been reported among medical students in Saudi Arabia.…”

Medical Accuracy of Reddit in Patient Discussions of Prospective Ocular Stem Cell Therapies for Retinal Degenerative Diseases

“…On this platform, anonymous users can post, comment, and discuss any topic of interest in specific subreddit groups, which are small communities of individuals who share similar interests. 7 With the current study, we hope to further our understanding of the public's perception of and knowledge gaps surrounding ocular stem cell therapies as well as to gain insight into the current beliefs and trends in misinformation.…”

Artificial intelligence in practice: measuring its medical accuracy in oculoplastics consultations

“…2,3 Prospective oculoplastics patients often resort to social media platforms to review and discuss various cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries. 4,5 In today's digitally connected world, social media has emerged as a primary source of information for individuals seeking health advice, second opinions, and information about physicians. However, the prevalence of misinformation and unreliable sources on social media platforms may misguide patients, potentially leading them away from making scientifically and medically informed decisions.…”

“…However, the prevalence of misinformation and unreliable sources on social media platforms may misguide patients, potentially leading them away from making scientifically and medically informed decisions. 5 The Chat Generative Pretrained Transformer 4 (Chat GPT-4) is the latest artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by OpenAI, an AI research laboratory. This large language model leverages deep-learning neural network software to generate contextually relevant responses to user prompts, basing its responses on a vast majority of digitally accessible, text-based information up to its last training date, September 2021.…”