Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal Of The Turkish Academy Of Dermatology, cilt.17, sa.3, ss.62-68, 2023 (Hakemli Dergi)
Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease that significantly affects people’s quality of life. Today, the use of social media
(SM) is a factor that substantially affects patients’ knowledge and adherence to treatment, and clinicians’ awareness of this issue is essential.
In this study we aimed to investigate the relationship between the use of SM to obtain information about the disease and the patient’s clinic
and quality of life in patients with AA.
Materials and Methods: A total of 118 patients with AA were evaluated by filling in the questionnaires prepared by the authors and
containing their Dermatologic Life Quality Index.
Results: It was observed that 72.6% of the patients used SM for information about the disease. 58.5% of the patients preferred Google. 31.4%
of the patients chose Instagram. 30.5% of the patients preferred YouTube, and the rest picked other SM tools. It was observed that 9.3% of the
patients were group members, and 66.9% made group comments. The patients said they would trust the doctor with 96.5% in case of conflict
between the SM and the doctor. It has been shown that 18.2% of patients attempt to reach the doctor via SM. They frequently preferred
doctor’s websites for this. They most commonly asked questions about drugs.
Conclusion: Our study has shown that AA patients use SM extensively to obtain information about their disease, emphasizing the importance
of clinicians’ presence on these platforms to provide accurate patient information.
Keywords: Alopecia areata, Social media, Internet