Life after surgery for Ulcerative colitis, through the lens of TikTok-A review and analysis of patient-generated content

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: TikTok is a widely utilized social media (SM) platform, offering a unique space for unrestricted self-expression. It appears as an ideal forum for young patients, undergoing surgery for ulcerative colitis (UC), to articulate freely experiences and concerns. The aim of this study is to review and analyse patient-generated TikTok content, to gain a better understanding of patient priorities and concerns in their post-operative journeys. Method(s): The most popular combinations and hashtags for each UC procedure were identified, following preliminary searches combining relevant keywords. The first 10 results for each search were analysed. Data collection included video and creator demographics, and thematic analysis of the content was performed. Result(s): A total of 10 searches was performed, combining search terms and hashtags for UC surgical procedures. 100 videos were retrieved from all searches and 32 videos were analysed, following exclusion of 68. Mean duration was 98 s (5-274), with a mean of 3175 likes (11-81,300) and 28 shares (0-158). Most of the videos (84%) were categorised as informational/raising awareness, from patient to patient, with further subthemes including living with IPAA (8 videos), living with stoma (6 videos) and stoma care (4 videos), explaining the IPAA procedure (4 videos) and living with pouchitis (2 videos). Conclusion(s): This study is the first to highlight key themes in the content shared by UC patients undergoing surgery, on a popular SM platform. It contributes to our understanding of patient priorities and interests, to allow for better communication and support in shared decision-making pre-operatively.