Content analysis of Turkish professional dermatologist accounts on Instagram, a social media platform

OpenAlex İngilizce

Background and Design: Social media has gained widespread prominence in contemporary society and has significantly impacted various critical aspects of healthcare.While Instagram was initially a platform for social interaction, it has gradually gained recognition in professional fields, including healthcare.This study aimed to analyze the content of popular professional dermatologist accounts on Instagram in Türkiye. Materials and Methods:Based on a sample of 34 dermatologist accounts with the highest number of followers, the study investigated several key parameters related to the content and account characteristics of accounts that publicly share information about dermatology.Results: Most dermatologists (29, 85.2%) were specialist physicians working in private practices.Aesthetic and cosmetic dermatology content prevailed across categories compared to medical dermatology (p<0.05).There were significant correlations between the number of followers and factors such as the total post count, the presence of cosmetic product recommendations, the sharing of procedure-related media, the use of reel videos, and the gender of the dermatologist [with a preference for female practitioners (p<0.05)].While some accounts (17.6%) included medical treatment recommendations along with the specific drug name, 35.2% (12) included specific cosmetic product recommendations.Current literature was shared only in 3 accounts (8.8%).Most dermatologists (85.2; 29%) also shared social posts unrelated to medicine.In terms of the number, the most shared content was also paramedical (social) posts with a median value of 4 (1-8) (in the last ten posts).Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into Turkish dermatologists' online presence and content preferences on Instagram and sheds light on how healthcare professionals interact with their audience and share information.