Exploring Melasma Patients’ Needs Through Social Media: A Qualitative Study

作者：Xinjin Liu, Xu Liu, Yanbing Han, Yifei Cheng, Hongjie Luo, Liu Yichen, D M Li, Weihong Guo, H. Jiang, Linghong Guo, Xian Jiang · 发表于：Patient Preference and Adherence · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.2147/ppa.s532613 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Dermatologic Treatments and Research、Diagnosis and Treatment of Venous Diseases、Social Media in Health Education

Purpose: To identify the primary concerns and unmet needs of patients with melasma on social media using qualitative analysis and AI-based keyword extraction. Patients and Methods: We conducted a qualitative study of melasma patient discussions using publicly available posts on Facebook and Baidu. The data were collected between January 2014 and October 2024. ChatGPT-4o was used for keyword extraction and classification. Results: A total of 1106 related posts were analyzed, revealing 284 unique tags and 2434 keywords. Treatment and prevention were the most discussed topics, with patients seeking information on effective, long-term, and affordable treatment. Daily care and mental health accounted for 29.2% of the total, focusing on skincare routines, sun protection, and lifestyle modification. Etiology and clinical features were observed in 14.8% of the posts, whereas 2.4% addressed diagnosis and differentiation. Conclusion: This study identified key concerns of patients with melasma using AI-based keyword extraction and qualitative analysis, highlighting the need for healthcare professionals to engage in digital patient education, clarify misinformation, support patient self-management, and integrate mental health considerations into melasma care. Future research should focus on AI-based interventions to enhance patient engagement and self-management.