Yichen Liu,1,2,* Xu Liu,1,2,* Min-Kyu Kim,1,2,* Beenu Maharjan,1,2 Xinjin Liu,1,2 Yuxin Duan,1,2 Dingling Li,1,2 Long Lin,1,2 Jingyuan Zeng,1,2 Hanfei Qin,1,2 Yifei Cheng,1,2 Linghong Guo,1,2 Xian Jiang1,2 

1Department of Dermatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China; 2Laboratory of Dermatology, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Xian Jiang, Department of Dermatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 189 8060 1693, Email jiangxian@scu.edu.cn Linghong Guo, Department of Dermatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 183 8013 1660, Email linhom.guo@foxmail.com

Purpose: Patients with port-wine stain (PWS) and related syndromes often face multifaceted challenges in disease management, including prolonged treatment cycles, appearance-related distress, and psychological burdens. Social media has become an important platform for these individuals to obtain information and share experiences. However, there is a lack of systematic qualitative research exploring their genuine needs. This study analyzes content from social media to identify patients’ core concerns during the diagnostic and therapeutic process, providing both theoretical foundations and practical references for developing patient-centered care models.
Methods: This study systematically analyzed PWS-related posts published between 2010 and 2023 across open social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and Baidu. A stratified sampling method was applied, and natural language processing was used to extract keywords and thematic sentences. Through expert review and AI-assisted classification, core patient needs in disease management were qualitatively summarized and categorized.
Results: A total of 1528 social media posts were analyzed, yielding 4,190 extracted keywords categorized into six major themes. Treatment-related concerns were the most prominent (30.04%), particularly focusing on treatment choices, side effects, and delayed efficacy. Diagnostic confusion was also frequently mentioned (24.41%). A significant number of posts conveyed emotional distress and a strong desire for shared experiences, with emotional support themes accounting for 4.19%, highlighting their importance. Some patients proactively shared treatment journeys, contributing to a supportive and empathetic community atmosphere.
Conclusion: This study distilled key needs from authentic patient expressions and found that beyond clinical diagnosis and treatment, PWS patients also highly value emotional support and anxiety relief regarding relapse. These findings underscore the necessity of building patient-centered care systems that integrate emotional and psychological support while managing treatment expectations. Future studies should combine quantitative research and clinical data to refine variable analyses and develop educational and intervention strategies tailored to real online patient needs.

Keywords: port-wine stain, social media analysis, patient-centered care, qualitative research