Introduction: For more than a decade, the Central National Institute for Ablation and Implant (INCUCAI, Argentina) has been using social networks to communicate with the community. The availability of affordable communication devices such as smartphones connected to the internet favored the use of social networks. Regarding donation and transplantation, social networks are used to share information but also to consult issues related to the demands of transplant recipients, people on the waiting list and their relatives, family members of donors and members of the community to connect with each other, collect news and information, but also create and share content. Among the social networks used by the INCUCAI, Instagram is the one that has experienced the greatest growth in recent years. The aim of this study was to analyze the inquiries and comments of Instagram users to our Institution and the performance of our Institution in meeting the demands of social network users.

Methods: We carried out a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the comments made by Instagram users to our publications, as well as the private messages sent and the responses made by our institution between January 1st and December 31st, 2021. The analyzed parameters included the total number of comments; the comments that required some type of official responses from our Institution; the type of inquiries, i.e., requests for information or complaints.

Results: During the year 2021, a total of 3,877 comments (in publications and private messages) were registered on the INCUCAI institutional Instagram network. Of the total comments, 871 (22%) required some type of institutional response. The qualitative analysis of the comments that required an institutional response showed that 679 comments (78%) requested information, while the remaining 192 (22%) corresponded to complaints. The analysis of the requested information was as follows: 423 (48.5%) were queries from patients in the transplant registration process, on the transplant waiting list, as well as transplant patients or their relatives; 163 (18.7%) were inquiries about organ and tissue donation and information about the donor registration process; 267 (30.6%) were queries about hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and queries about the registration process in the bone marrow registry; 18 (2%) corresponded to contacts made by relatives of donors. It is important to mention that of the total number of comments that required an institutional response, 687 (81.9%) were answered in less than 48 hours.

Conclusion: The analysis of the data confirms that a significant number of people use social networks to demand an institutional response. Most of the consultations correspond to the needs of the patients (transplanted and on the waiting list). Proper use of social networks by institutions linked to the donation and transplantation process probably requires quick responses to queries, this being a priority for INCUCAI.