Using Social Media for the Promotion of Education and Consultation in Adolescents Who Have Undergone Kidney Transplant: Protocol for a Randomized Control Trial

Background: Falling ill represents a traumatic experience especially in adolescence, since in addition to the moments of ambiguity and contradictions that this period brings, there is coping with the disease. Renal transplantation provides a better quality of life but the dependence on dialysis is replaced by the greater responsibility of self-care. With advances in technology, contemporary communication methods are a strategic mechanism for the approximation of the adolescent and the multiprofessional team. In this perspective, our research may provide possible changes and propose alternatives, using social networks for the integration of the multiprofessional team, promoting education within a virtual environment for adolescents who have undergone kidney transplants.

Objective: The goal of our research is to compare the knowledge, satisfaction, and self-esteem of adolescent renal transplant patients in 2 groups: patients undergoing conventional treatment versus patients undergoing conventional treatment plus the full-time use of social networks to aid in education and consultation.

Methods: Nonblind randomized clinical trial with 128 adolescents (aged 13 to 21 years) divided in 2 groups: the first group will receive conventional care and the second group will be invited to participate in a secret group on the social network Facebook. This group will be used as a new education platform to involve young renal transplant patients to participate in the guidelines provided to them by the multiprofessional team.

Results: An environment for learning and exchanging life experiences will be created by using a well-known technology among adolescents. As a low-cost intervention, it will allow a better interaction between the patient and the transplant team. It is expected that the adolescents will improve their knowledge about the disease also increasing their self-esteem and the treatment adhesion.

Conclusions: Health professionals need to seek alternatives when educating patients, focusing on easily understandable ways for effective guidance. In the adolescent population, it is understood that the use of technology as support in education is a fundamental tool for this age group. The proposed project will directly benefit adolescent renal transplant patients as it uses language aimed directly at the target demographic. It attempts to overcome the traditional model by being more in contact with the current generation. This approach makes the content easier to assimilate and, consequently, increases understanding.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03214965; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02239354 (Archived by Webcite at http://www.webcitation.org/6wKnYrFGx).