Evaluation of the #scabies Hashtag as an Information Source for Patients in Türkiye: An Original Research

#scabies Hashtag for Patients in Türkiye

Abstract

Objective : The aim of this study is to evaluate the content of Instagram posts as a patient education resource for scabies.

Methods: This study analyzed the first 384 posts shared under the hashtag "#scabies" on Instagram. Two dermatology specialists evaluated each post based on various criteria, including the author (categorized as medical doctors, pharmacists, healers, patients, private hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, public health centers, news websites, or accounts created under the name "scabies"), the type of post (photo or video), its purpose (educational or promotional), and its topic (general information, symptoms and signs, preventive measures, treatment, or unrelated content). Additionally, each post was assessed for its usefulness to patients.

Results: Of the analyzed posts, 56% were photos, and 44% were videos. Among video posts, 46% were deemed useful for patients, compared to 24% of photo posts. Overall, 34% of the posts were found to be useful, while 66% were not. Healers were the most frequent authors, accounting for 45% of the posts, followed by medical doctors (23%) and pharmacists (10%). Dermatologists were the most active contributors among medical doctors. It was determined that 91% of posts by medical doctors were useful for patients, representing 62% of all useful posts. In contrast, posts by healers and pharmacists were predominantly not useful (92% and 70%, respectively).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Instagram is not an effective educational resource for patients regarding scabies. Therefore, it may be beneficial for dermatologists to engage more actively on Instagram to improve the quality of patient education.