Otolaryngology-Related Posts on Reddit Network Concern Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

by Linda Kossoff •

What is the nature of the topics and intentions of otolaryngology-related posts on the social network Reddit? 

BOTTOM LINE 

Most otolaryngology-related posts on Reddit are questions about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, and responses are not monitored. 

BACKGROUND: Patients often use the internet and social media to obtain information about their medical conditions. The social media network Reddit ranks higher in popularity than both Instagram and Twitter; however, few studies investigate Reddit’s role as a healthcare resource, and there are none in the field of otolaryngology. 

COMMENT: The authors analyzed a year’s worth of Reddit posts (the 6th most visited website in the U.S.) for otolaryngology-related topics. Twenty-three threads met criteria for analysis, of which 67% sought medical advice. Reddit can be a useful way for patients to share personal experiences; the accuracy of the medical information, however, isn’t monitored, and patients should be cautioned about the potential for misinformation. —Cristina Cabrera-Muffly, MD

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. 

SETTING: Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. 

SYNOPSIS: Researchers searched selected otolaryngology-related terms on Reddit to identify relevant subreddits posted from February 2019 to January 2020, then sorted the top 50 posts by popularity. Posts were categorized as seeking advice, providing health information, sharing personal experiences, relating to medical education, or other. Posts seeking medical advice were further stratified into perioperative concerns, symptoms and diagnosis, or treatment. Of the 23 subreddits that met analysis criteria, the top three were Ear Rumblers Assemble, Hypothyroidism, and Reddit’s Tinnitus Community, each with more than 13,900 members. Of 1,150 posts in the 23 subreddits, 67% sought health advice and an additional 20% shared personal experiences. Most posts contained questions regarding symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Type of content in each thread was diverse—for example, 98% of r/thyroidhealth posts sought health advice, whereas 84% of r/vertigo posts contained videos/photos that might induce vertigo and were unrelated to otolaryngology. Authors noted that the accuracy of medical information within Reddit responses to crowd-sourcing medical questions is not monitored. Study limitations included the anonymous nature of Reddit, which precluded the ability to analyze user sociodemographic information. 

CITATION: Xie DX, Boss EF, and Stewart CM. An exploration of otolaryngology in the Reddit community. Laryngoscope. 2022;132:284-286.