There is no question Facebook and Twitter have changed the way people communicate, but a new study shows social media is changing the medical field. Patients waiting for a kidney transplant have reached out to people on Facebook for help. On average, patients waiting for a kidney sit on the list for five years. It’s one of the reasons people are taking control of their own medical destiny and asking for donors to come forward via Facebook. A Loyola University study looked into the success of these requests.
More than a status update
Researchers examined 91 Facebook pages that were seeking kidney donations for patients ranging in age from 2 to 69. Here’s what they found:
- On pages in which relationships could be determined, 37 percent of the pages were created by patients, 31 percent by their children and 32 percent by other family or friends.
- Twelve percent of the pages reported receiving a kidney transplant and 30 percent reported that potential donors had stepped forward to be tested to determine whether they were compatible.
- One page reported that more than 600 people had been tested as potential donors for a young child.
- Patients who were successful in soliciting people to be tested for donation were more likely to be white, have polycystic kidney disease and provide transplant website information.
- Successful patients had more than 50 posts by the creator of the page and more than 50 posts by others.
Some of the study’s findings raise ethical concerns. Three percent of the pages received offers to sell kidneys, mostly from people in Third World countries.- Would-be donors typically asked for $30,000 to $40,000. However, selling organs is illegal.
- Only 5 percent of pages mentioned the risks of kidney donation, and only 11 percent mentioned associated costs.
Further studies are needed to understand the full impact of social media. Researchers believe future inquiries should look into ethical and safety concerns.
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