Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Every year, 530,000 tonsillectomies are performed in the United States. Many patients use social media for medical advice and support. This study investigates Reddit perspectives to identify the current needs of tonsillectomy patients. METHODS: package analyzed the emotions of each post. Word frequency analysis elucidated top descriptors. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: Posts were themed as Attitudes/Experiences (n=440, 88%), Medical/Procedural (n=9, 1.8%), or Both (n=51, 10.2%). Most were patient-authored (n=474, 94.8%), with many sharing personal anecdotes (n=476, 95.2%) and seeking validation (n=109, 21.8%). Few involved preoperative (n=15, 3%) or postoperative (n=45, 9%) concerns, with no operative or medication-related questions. VADER analysis revealed an average Compound score of 0.26, with 320 Positive, 179 Negative, and one Neutral post. Fear and trust had the most associated words from the National Research Council (NRC) Emotion dictionary. Common descriptors were "pain" (n=2063), "throat" (n=718), "water" (n=675), "feel" (n=576), and "ice" (n=328). CONCLUSION: Most Reddit users viewed their tonsillectomy experience as positive. Many shared experiences and a few of them involved clinical questions. The descriptor "pain" was particularly prevalent. Providers should supply detailed pain-related expectations. Reddit may allow surgeons to better grasp how real patients manage pain, combining home remedies with prescribed medications. Care can be enhanced through personalized support that aims to minimize fear and improve patient-physician trust.
Source: Cureus
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.74254
Authors: Ava Herzog, Victoria Vought, Rita Vought, Andrew Lee, Rahul Sharma, Brian Manzi
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4404635304