Patient perception of gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery through twitter and instagram

Background: This study evaluated social media to better understand the patient experience regarding Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery. Methods: Twitter and Instagram posts were queried to identify relevant posts. The initial search for Instagram posts and “tweets” tagged with “#gammaknife” or “@gammaknife” identified 1094 posts on Instagram and 1517 tweets. Nine-hundred seventy-three Instagram posts and 1453 tweets were eliminated that did not involve the patient's own experience. We coded for the number of Gamma Knife procedures that the patient had undergone, whether it was published before or after the patient's procedure, and for classified themes related to patients’ experience with the procedure. Results: Thirty-eight of 48 (79.2%) tweets and 61 of 82 (74.4%) Instagram posts were related to patients’ first experience. Fifty-eight percent of tweets and 65% of Instagram posts were published post-Gamma Knife treatment. The most common theme in Twitter and Instagram posts was the appearance of the Leksell head frame or the pin sites after treatment (17.2% and 48.8%, respectively). Other common themes included the recounting of personal history of present illness to followers and excitement about having a treatment plan. Conclusions: Social media provides a platform for patients to share their personal experiences and reactions to Gamma Knife radiosurgery.