Consulting r/Transplant: Assessment of Reddit Use and Sentiment in Solid Organ Transplantation

Abstract

Background: Solid organ transplants are life-changing experiences that impact recipients, donors, care partners, medical teams, communities, and popular media. Social media is an influential part of modern life and provides a platform for healthcare experiences. This study assessed perspectives on solid organ transplantation by exploring the transplant community's utilization of the social media site Reddit.

Methods: The 1000 most recent and "Top" 100 posts from the r/transplant subreddit were extracted in April 2024. Posts underwent categorization to identify key themes and subthemes. The Python "Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner" sentiment analysis tool was used to evaluate post sentiment.

Results: Posts most frequently discussed kidney (43.3%) and liver (18.3%) transplants. Most were authored by transplant recipients (66.5%) and centered on the posttransplant period (63.0%). Categorization of the 1000 most recent posts revealed 11 major themes: eligibility, pretransplant anticipation, logistics, early recovery, late recovery, medication, lifestyle, infection, seeking connection, sharing experience, and transplant in media. Over a third of posts sought Reddit user input on medical questions. Sentiment analysis demonstrated predominantly positive sentiment (0.25). The "Top" 100 posts had more positive sentiment (0.50) and focused on sharing experiences.

Conclusions: Reddit serves as a platform for information exchange and support for the transplant community, addressing a wide range of pre- and posttransplant topics. Future work should explore ways to incorporate the real-world solutions offered by social media into formal healthcare practices.

FIGURE 1.

Major themes and subthemes.