@Article{info:doi/10.2196/65745, author="Munir, Mamoon Malik and Ahmed, Nabil", title="Using Social Media Platforms to Raise Health Awareness and Increase Health Education in Pakistan: Structural Equation Modeling Analysis and Questionnaire Study", journal="JMIR Hum Factors", year="2025", month="Apr", day="7", volume="12", pages="e65745", keywords="social media", keywords="health awareness", keywords="health education", keywords="innovation diffusion theory", keywords="structural equation modeling", keywords="disease burden", keywords="healthcare facilities", keywords="health professionals", keywords="misinformation", keywords="cost effective", abstract="Background: Current health care education methods in Pakistan use traditional media (eg, television and radio), community health workers, and printed materials, which often fall short of reach and engagement among most of the population. The health care sector in Pakistan has not yet used social media effectively to raise awareness and provide education about diseases. Research on the impact social media can have on health care education in Pakistan may expand current efforts, engage a wider audience, and reduce the disease burden on health care facilities. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the perceptions of health care professionals and paramedic staff regarding social media use to raise awareness and educate people about diseases as a potential means of reducing the disease burden in Pakistan. Methods: The study used two-stage structural equation modeling (SEM). Data analysis used AMOS 26.0 software, adopting scales from previous literature. Four-item scales for each social media usefulness and health awareness construct and 8-item scales for health care education constructs were adopted on the basis of their higher loading in alignment with psychometric literature. A 7-point Likert scale was used to measure each item. Data collection used convenience sampling, with questionnaires distributed to more than 450 health care professionals and paramedic staff from 2 private hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. There were 389 useful responses received. However, 340 completed questionnaires were included in the data analysis. Results: The study found that all the squared multiple correlation (SMC) values were greater than 0.30. Furthermore, convergent validity was measured using (1) standardized factor loading (found greater than 0.5), (2) average variance explained (found greater than 0.5), and (3) composite reliability (found greater than 0.7). The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the measurement model indicated the fitness of the constructs (Chi-square minimum [CMIN]=357.62; CMIN/degrees of freedom [DF]=1.80; Goodness of Fit [GFI]=0.90; Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index [AGFI]=0.89; Buntler-Bonett Normed Fit Index [NFI]=0:915; Comparative Fit Index [CFI]=0:93; Root Mean Square Residual [RMR]=0:075; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation [RMSEA]=0:055). Moreover, the structural model fitness was also confirmed (CMIN=488.6; CMIN/DF=1.85; GFI=0.861; AGFI=0.893; NFI=0.987; CFI=0.945; RMR=0:079; RMSEA=0.053). Hence, the results indicated that social media usefulness has a positive and significant effect on health awareness (hypothesis 1: $\beta$=.669, P<.001), and health awareness has a positive and significant effect on health care education in Pakistan (hypothesis 2: $\beta$=.557, P<.001). Conclusions: This study concludes that health care professionals and paramedic staff in private hospitals support the use of social media to raise awareness and provide health care education. It is considered an effective tool for reducing the disease burden in Pakistan. The study results also revealed that young health care professionals are more inclined toward social media usage and express the need for legislation to support it and establish a monitoring process to avoid misinformation. ", doi="10.2196/65745", url="https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e65745" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/57812, author="Farsi, Sara and Sabbahi, Alaa and Sait, Deyala and Kabli, Raghad and Abduljabar, Ghaliah", title="Ethical Use of Social Media and Sharing of Patient Information by Medical Students at a University Hospital in Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Survey", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2025", month="Mar", day="24", volume="11", pages="e57812", keywords="e-professionalism", keywords="professionalism", keywords="social media", keywords="medical education", keywords="curriculum development", keywords="privacy", keywords="confidentiality", keywords="ethics", keywords="patient confidentiality", keywords="cross-sectional", keywords="questionnaire", abstract="Background: Social media (SM) has become an integral part of many medical students' lives, blurring the lines between their personal and professional identities as many aspects of their medical careers appear online. Physicians must understand how to responsibly navigate these sites. Objective: This study aimed to identify how medical students use SM and their awareness and adherence to ethical guidelines of e-professionalism. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study delivered as an online voluntary survey to senior medical students at King AbdulAziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We investigated how many students used SM, their privacy settings, their possible breaches of ethical standards, and their portrayal of their training institute online. Results: A total of 400/1546 (26\%) senior medical students responded to our survey. Among the participants, 95/400 (24\%) had public SM accounts, while 162/400 (41\%) had both private and public accounts. As for breaches in e-professionalism, 11/400 (3\%) participants posted a picture of a patient on SM without their permission, while 75/400 (20\%) posted part of an excised organ or x-ray on SM without their permission, and 60/400 (16\%) discussed a patient. With regards to sharing medical school information, 108/400 (29\%) discussed an incident at their medical school, and 119/400 (31\%) participants shared a lecture online without the presenter's permission. Approximately 66\% of the participants reported that they were unaware if their institution had a professional code of conduct for SM use, and 259/371 (70\%) did not receive training on the professional use of SM. Conclusions: Medical students must be taught to recognize inappropriate online behavior, understand their role as representatives of their medical school, and know the potential repercussions of unprofessional conduct on SM. This could be accomplished by providing workshops, regular seminars on e-professionalism, and including principles of SM conduct in existing ethics courses. ", doi="10.2196/57812", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2025/1/e57812" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/56116, author="Zhao, Xiyu and Yang, Victor and Menta, Arjun and Blum, Jacob and Ranasinghe, Padmini", title="Exploring the Use of Social Media for Medical Problem Solving by Analyzing the Subreddit r/medical\_advice: Quantitative Analysis", journal="JMIR Infodemiology", year="2025", month="Mar", day="20", volume="5", pages="e56116", keywords="online health information", keywords="medical advice", keywords="Reddit", keywords="r/medical\_advice", keywords="health information--seeking behavior", keywords="user-generated content", keywords="subreddits", keywords="patient education", keywords="virtual environments", keywords="information quality", keywords="social media", keywords="medical problem", keywords="quantitative analyses", keywords="cross-sectional study", keywords="user interactions", keywords="online health", keywords="decision-making", keywords="social news", keywords="health information", abstract="Background: The advent of the internet has transformed the landscape of health information acquisition and sharing. Reddit has become a hub for such activities, such as the subreddit r/medical\_advice, affecting patients' knowledge and decision-making. While the popularity of these platforms is recognized, research into the interactions and content within these communities remains sparse. Understanding the dynamics of these platforms is crucial for improving online health information quality. Objective: This study aims to quantitatively analyze the subreddit r/medical\_advice to characterize the medical questions posed and the demographics of individuals providing answers. Insights into the subreddit's user engagement, information-seeking behavior, and the quality of shared information will contribute to the existing body of literature on health information seeking in the digital era. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, examining all posts and top comments from r/medical\_advice since its creation on October 1, 2011. Data were collected on March 2, 2023, from pushhift.io, and the analysis included post and author flairs, scores, and engagement metrics. Statistical analyses were performed using RStudio and GraphPad Prism 9.0. Results: From October 2011 to March 2023, a total of 201,680 posts and 721,882 comments were analyzed. After excluding autogenerated posts and comments, 194,678 posts and 528,383 comments remained for analysis. A total of 41\% (77,529/194,678) of posts had no user flairs, while only 0.1\% (108/194,678) of posts were made by verified medical professionals. The average engagement per post was a score of 2 (SD 7.03) and 3.32 (SD 4.89) comments. In period 2, urgent questions and those with level-10 pain reported higher engagement, with significant differences in scores and comments based on flair type (P<.001). Period 3 saw the highest engagement in posts related to pregnancy and the lowest in posts about bones, joints, or ligaments. Media inclusion significantly increased engagement, with video posts receiving the highest interaction (P<.001). Conclusions: The study reveals a significant engagement with r/medical\_advice, with user interactions influenced by the type of query and the inclusion of visual media. High engagement with posts about pregnancy and urgent medical queries reflects a focused public interest and the subreddit's role as a preliminary health information resource. The predominance of nonverified medical professionals providing information highlights a shift toward community-based knowledge exchange, though it raises questions about the reliability of the information. Future research should explore cross-platform behaviors and the impact of misinformation on public health. Effective moderation and the involvement of verified medical professionals are recommended to enhance the subreddit's role as a reliable health information resource. ", doi="10.2196/56116", url="https://infodemiology.jmir.org/2025/1/e56116" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/59944, author="Wang, Yijun and Zheng, Han and Zhou, Yuxin and Chukwusa, Emeka and Koffman, Jonathan and Curcin, Vasa", title="Promoting Public Engagement in Palliative and End-of-Life Care Discussions on Chinese Social Media: Model Development and Analysis", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2025", month="Mar", day="18", volume="27", pages="e59944", keywords="palliative care", keywords="end-of-life care", keywords="health promotion", keywords="social media", keywords="China", keywords="Weibo", keywords="public engagement", keywords="elaboration likelihood model", keywords="ELM", abstract="Background: In Chinese traditional culture, discussions surrounding death are often considered taboo, leading to a poor quality of death, and limited public awareness and knowledge about palliative and end-of-life care (PEoLC). However, the increasing prevalence of social media in health communication in China presents an opportunity to promote and educate the public about PEoLC through online discussions. Objective: This study aimed to examine the factors influencing public engagement in PEoLC discussions on a Chinese social media platform and develop practice recommendations to promote such engagement. Methods: We gathered 30,811 PEoLC-related posts on Weibo, the largest social media platform in China. Guided by the elaboration likelihood model, our study examined factors across 4 dimensions: content theme, mood, information richness, and source credibility. Content theme was examined using thematic analysis, while sentiment analysis was used to determine the mood of the posts. The impact of potential factors on post engagement was quantified using negative binomial regression. Results: Organizational accounts exhibited lower engagement compared to individual accounts (incidence rate ratio [IRR]<1; P<.001), suggesting an underuse of organizational accounts in advocating for PEoLC on Weibo. Posts centered on PEoLC-related entertainment (films, television shows, and books; IRR=1.37; P<.001) or controversial social news (IRR=1.64; P<.001) garnered more engagement, primarily published by individual accounts. An interaction effect was observed between content theme and post mood, with posts featuring more negative sentiment generally attracting higher public engagement, except for educational-related posts (IRR=2.68; P<.001). Conclusions: Overall, organizations faced challenges in capturing public attention and involving the public when promoting PEoLC on Chinese social media platforms. It is imperative to move beyond a traditional mode to incorporate cultural elements of social media, such as engaging influencers, leveraging entertainment content and social news, or using visual elements, which can serve as effective catalysts in attracting public attention. The strategies developed in this study are particularly pertinent to nonprofit organizations and academics aiming to use social media for PEoLC campaigns, fundraising efforts, or research dissemination. ", doi="10.2196/59944", url="https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e59944" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/56098, author="Sommers, Jonathan and Dizon, S. Don and Lewis, A. Mark and Stone, Erik and Andreoli, Richard and Henderson, Vida", title="Assessing Health Information Seeking Behaviors Among Targeted Social Media Users Using an Infotainment Video About a Cancer Clinical Trial: Population-Based Descriptive Study", journal="JMIR Cancer", year="2025", month="Mar", day="3", volume="11", pages="e56098", keywords="cancer clinical trials", keywords="digital media", keywords="social media", keywords="infotainment", keywords="recruitment", keywords="education and awareness", keywords="edutainment", keywords="public engagement", keywords="cancer", keywords="lack of information", keywords="health information", keywords="medical awareness", keywords="video series", keywords="public audience", keywords="low cost", keywords="research participants", abstract="Background: The lack of information and awareness about clinical trials, as well as misconceptions about them, are major barriers to cancer clinical trial participation. Digital and social media are dominant sources of health information and offer optimal opportunities to improve public medical awareness and education by providing accurate and trustworthy health information from reliable sources. Infotainment, material intended to both entertain and inform, is an effective strategy for engaging and educating audiences that can be easily disseminated using social media and may be a novel way to improve awareness of and recruitment in clinical trials. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an infotainment video promoting a clinical trial, disseminated using social media, could drive health information seeking behaviors. Methods: As part of a video series, we created an infotainment video focused on the promotion of a specific cancer clinical trial. We instituted a dissemination and marketing process on Facebook to measure video engagement and health information seeking behaviors among targeted audiences who expressed interest in breast cancer research and organizations. To evaluate video engagement, we measured reach, retention, outbound clicks, and outbound click-through rate. Frequencies and descriptive statistics were used to summarize each measure. Results: The video substantially increased health information seeking behavior by increasing viewership from 1 visitor one month prior to launch to 414 outbound clicks from the video to the clinical trial web page during the 21-day social media campaign period. Conclusions: Our study shows that digital and social media tools can be tailored for specific target audiences, are scalable, and can be disseminated at low cost, making it an accessible educational, recruitment, and retention strategy focused on improving the awareness of clinical trials. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03418961; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03418961 ", doi="10.2196/56098", url="https://cancer.jmir.org/2025/1/e56098" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/59387, author="Rivera, M. Yonaira and Corpuz, Kathryna and Karver, Sanchez Tahilin", title="Engagement With and Use of Health Information on Social Media Among US Latino Individuals: National Cross-Sectional Survey Study", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2025", month="Feb", day="24", volume="27", pages="e59387", keywords="Latinos", keywords="health misinformation", keywords="engagement", keywords="utilization", keywords="social media", keywords="health information", keywords="United States", keywords="national", keywords="trends", keywords="survey", keywords="pandemic", keywords="non-Latino whites", abstract="Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, US Latino individuals were more likely to report accessing coronavirus information on social media than other groups, despite copious amounts of health misinformation documented on these platforms. Among the existing literature on factors associated with engagement and use of health information, racial minority status has been associated with greater susceptibility to health misinformation. However, literature to date has not reported national trends on how Latino individuals engage with or use health information on social media compared to non-Latino White (NLW) individuals, nor whether perceptions of the amount of health misinformation on social media influence health information engagement and usage. Objective: This study aimed to examine differences in engagement with and use of health information on social media among Latino and NLW individuals in the United States. Methods: We examined a nationally representative cross-sectional sample of Latino (n=827) and NLW (n=2563) respondents of the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey who used social media in 2022 to assess differences in engagement with and use of health information. Items related to the perceived quantity of health misinformation on social media, social media use frequency, health information engagement (sharing content; watching videos), and health information usage (health decision-making; discussions with health care providers) were selected to conduct weighted bivariate analyses and logistic regressions. Results: Latino individuals perceive lower amounts of health misinformation on social media (28.9\% perceived little to no misinformation vs 13.6\% NLW individuals, P<.001). Latino audiences also reported higher health information engagement compared to NLW individuals (20\% vs 10.2\% shared information several times a month or more, P<.001; 42.4\% vs 27.2\% watched videos several times a month or more, P<.001), as well as higher information usage for health decision-making (22.8\% vs 13.7\%, P=.003). When controlling for ethnicity and other sociodemographic variables, perceiving lower amounts of health misinformation on social media was associated with higher odds of watching videos more frequently, making health decisions, and discussing health-related content with a health care provider (P<.001). Furthermore, Latino audiences were 1.85 times more likely to watch videos (P<.001), when controlling for the perceived amount of health misinformation and other sociodemographic variables. Finally, when compared to NLW individuals perceiving little to no health misinformation, Latino audiences perceiving little to no health misinformation were 2.91 times more likely to watch videos (P<.001). Conclusions: The findings suggest that Latino individuals engage with visual health (mis)information at higher rates. Digital health literacy interventions should consider video formats and preferred social media platforms among Latino individuals. Further research is warranted to understand sociocultural factors important to Latino social media users when consuming health information, as these may impact the success of digital media literacy interventions that teach users how to navigate misinformation online. ", doi="10.2196/59387", url="https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e59387" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/59417, author="Jandu, Simi and Carey, L. Jennifer", title="Exploring Social Media Use Among Medical Students Applying for Residency Training: Cross-Sectional Survey Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2025", month="Feb", day="21", volume="11", pages="e59417", keywords="social media", keywords="residency recruitment", keywords="Instagram", keywords="Reddit", keywords="medical students", keywords="student", keywords="residency", keywords="residency training", keywords="social media engagement", keywords="training programs", keywords="social media usage", keywords="cross-sectional survey", keywords="survey", keywords="residency training program", keywords="thematic analysis", abstract="Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, residency candidates have moved from attending traditional in-person interviews to virtual interviews with residency training programs. This transition spurred increased social media engagement by residency candidates, in an effort to learn about prospective programs, and by residency programs, to improve recruitment efforts. There is a paucity of literature on the effectiveness of social media outreach and its impact on candidates' perceptions of residency programs. Objective: We aimed to determine patterns of social media platform usage among prospective residency candidates and social media's influence on students' perceptions of residency programs. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered anonymously to fourth-year medical students who successfully matched to a residency training program at a single institution in 2023. These data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, as well as thematic analysis for open-ended questions. Results: Of the 148 eligible participants, 69 (46.6\%) responded to the survey, of whom 45 (65.2\%) used social media. Widely used social media platforms were Instagram (19/40, 47.5\%) and Reddit (18/40, 45\%). Social media influenced 47.6\% (20/42) of respondents' opinions of programs and had a moderate or major effect on 26.2\% (11/42) of respondents' decisions on program ranking. Resident-faculty relations and social events showcasing camaraderie and wellness were the most desired content. Conclusions: Social media is used by the majority of residency candidates during the residency application process and influences residency program ranking. This highlights the importance of residency programs in leveraging social media usage to recruit applicants and provide information that allows the candidate to better understand the program. ", doi="10.2196/59417", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2025/1/e59417" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/55861, author="Escamilla-Sanchez, Alejandro and L{\'o}pez-Villodres, Antonio Juan and Alba-Tercedor, Carmen and Ortega-Jim{\'e}nez, Victoria Mar{\'i}a and Rius-D{\'i}az, Francisca and Sanchez-Varo, Raquel and Berm{\'u}dez, Diego", title="Instagram as a Tool to Improve Human Histology Learning in Medical Education: Descriptive Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2025", month="Feb", day="19", volume="11", pages="e55861", keywords="medical education", keywords="medical students", keywords="histology", keywords="pathology", keywords="e-learning", keywords="computer-based", keywords="social media", keywords="Instagram", keywords="Meta", keywords="community-oriented", keywords="usability", keywords="utility", keywords="accessibility", abstract="Background: Student development is currently taking place in an environment governed by new technologies and social media. Some platforms, such as Instagram or X (previously known as ``Twitter''), have been incorporated as additional tools for teaching and learning processes in higher education, especially in the framework of image-based applied disciplines, including radiology and pathology. Nevertheless, the role of social media in the teaching of core subjects such as histology has hardly been studied, and there are very few reports on this issue. Objective: The aim of this work was to investigate the impact of implementing social media on the ability to learn human histology. For this purpose, a set of voluntary e-learning activities was shared on Instagram as a complement to traditional face-to-face teaching. Methods: The proposal included questionnaires based on multiple-choice questions, descriptions of histological images, and schematic diagrams about the subject content. These activities were posted on an Instagram account only accessible by second-year medical students from the University of Malaga. In addition, students could share their own images taken during the laboratory practice and interact with their peers. Results: Of the students enrolled in Human Histology 2, 85.6\% (143/167) agreed to participate in the platform. Most of the students valued the initiative positively and considered it an adequate instrument to improve their final marks. Specifically, 68.5\% (98/143) of the student body regarded the multiple-choice questions and image-based questions as the most useful activities. Interestingly, there were statistically significant differences between the marks on the final exam (without considering other evaluation activities) for students who participated in the activity compared with those who did not or barely participated in the activity (P<.001). There were no significant differences by degree of participation between the more active groups. Conclusions: These results provide evidence that incorporating social media may be considered a useful, easy, and accessible tool to improve the learning of human histology in the context of medical degrees. ", doi="10.2196/55861", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2025/1/e55861" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/65372, author="Liao, Jiaman and Huang, Xueliang and Huang, Hao and Shen, Cuina and Li, Lixia and Li, Yushao and Zhan, Yiqiang", title="Analysis of ``Dr Ding Xiang'' on WeChat in China to Determine Factors Influencing Readership on Medical Social Media: Observational Study", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2025", month="Jan", day="20", volume="27", pages="e65372", keywords="WeChat Official Accounts", keywords="Dr Ding Xiang", keywords="health communication", keywords="information dissemination", keywords="readership analysis", abstract="Background: With the rapid expansion of social media platforms, the demand for health information has increased substantially, leading to innovative approaches and new opportunities in health education. Objective: This study aims to analyze the characteristics of articles published on the ``Dr Ding Xiang'' WeChat official account (WOA), one of the most popular institutional accounts on the WeChat platform, to identify factors influencing readership engagement and to propose strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of health information dissemination. Methods: A total of 5286 articles published on the ``Dr Ding Xiang'' WOA from January 2021 to December 2021 were collected and analyzed. Additionally, a random sample of 324 articles was selected for detailed text analysis. Univariate analysis was conducted using the chi-square test, and multivariate analysis was performed using multivariable logistic regression. Results: In 2021, the total number of reads for ``Dr Ding Xiang'' articles reached 323,479,841, with an average of 61,196 reads per article. Articles exceeding 100,000 reads accounted for 33.90\% of the total. Most articles were published during the time slots of 8:00-10:00 AM, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM, and 8:30-10:30 PM. Analysis indicated that the order of publication, style of the title sentence, number of likes, number of in-views, total likes on comments, and number of replies to comments were significantly associated with an article's number of reads. Text analysis further revealed that the article's reasoning approaches and concluding methods also had a significant impact on readership. Conclusions: To enhance readership and the effectiveness of health communication, health-focused WOAs should consider key factors such as optimal publication timing, engaging title design, and effective content structuring. Attention to these elements can improve user engagement and support the broader dissemination of health information. ", doi="10.2196/65372", url="https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e65372" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/66121, author="Acosta, Macadaeg Joseph and Detsomboonrat, Palinee and Pisarnturakit, Pantuwadee Pagaporn and Urwannachotima, Nipaporn", title="The Use of Social Media on Enhancing Dental Care and Practice Among Dental Professionals: Cross-Sectional Survey Study", journal="JMIR Form Res", year="2025", month="Jan", day="3", volume="9", pages="e66121", keywords="social media", keywords="oral health promotion", keywords="oral health education", keywords="dentists", keywords="dental practice", keywords="dental professionals", keywords="dental practitioners", abstract="Background: As digitalization continues to advance globally, the health care sector, including dental practice, increasingly recognizes social media as a vital tool for health care promotion, patient recruitment, marketing, and communication strategies. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the use of social media and assess its impact on enhancing dental care and practice among dental professionals in the Philippines. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among dental practitioners in the Philippines. The study used a 23-item questionnaire, which included 5 questions on dentists' background and demographic information and 18 questions regarding the use, frequency, and purpose of social media in patient advising and quality of care improvement. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, with frequency distributions and $\chi$2 tests used to assess the association between social media use and demographic variables and the impact on dental practice. Results: The 265 dental practitioners in this study were predominantly female (n=204, 77\%) and aged between 20?30 years (n=145, 54.7\%). Most of the participants were general practitioners (n=260, 98.1\%) working in a private practice (n=240, 90.6\%), with 58.5\% (n=155) having 0?5 years of clinical experience. Social media use was significantly higher among younger practitioners (20?30 years old) compared to older age groups (P<.001), though factors such as sex, dental specialty, and years of clinical practice did not significantly influence use. The majority (n=179, 67.5\%) reported using social media in their practice, primarily for oral health promotion and education (n=191, 72.1\%), connecting with patients and colleagues (n=165, 62.3\%), and marketing (n=150, 56.6\%). Facebook (n=179, 67.5\%) and YouTube (n=163, 61.5\%) were the most frequented platforms for clinical information, with Twitter (subsequently rebranded X) being the least used (n=4, 1.5\%). Despite widespread social media engagement, only 8.7\% (n=23) trusted the credibility of web-based information, and 63.4\% (n=168) perceived a potential impact on the patient-dentist relationship due to patients seeking information on the internet. Social media was also perceived to enhance practice quality, with users reporting significant improvements in patient care (P=.001). Conclusions: The findings highlight that social media is widely used among younger dental practitioners, primarily for education, communication, and marketing purposes. While social media use is associated with perceived improvements in practice quality and patient care, trust in information on social media remains low, and concerns remain regarding its effect on patient relationships. It is recommended to establish enhanced guidelines and provide reliable web-based resources to help dental practitioners use social media effectively and responsibly. ", doi="10.2196/66121", url="https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e66121" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/63464, author="Bacsu, Juanita-Dawne and Fraser, Anne Sarah and Jamali, Akbar Ali and Conanan, Christine and Chasteen, L. Alison and Vellani, Shirin and Gowda-Sookochoff, Rory and Berger, Corinne and Mah, C. Jasmine and Fehr, Florriann and Virani, Anila and Rahemi, Zahra and Nanson, Kate and Cammer, Allison and Andrew, K. Melissa and Grewal, S. Karl and McGilton, S. Katherine and Lautrup, Samantha and Spiteri, J. Raymond", title="Navigating Awareness and Strategies to Support Dementia Advocacy on Social Media During World Alzheimer's Month: Infodemiology Study", journal="JMIR Infodemiology", year="2024", month="Dec", day="27", volume="4", pages="e63464", keywords="dementia", keywords="Alzheimer disease", keywords="advocacy", keywords="stigma", keywords="myths", keywords="awareness", keywords="social media", keywords="political lobbying", keywords="lobbying", keywords="X", keywords="Twitter", keywords="tweet", keywords="thematic", keywords="promotion", keywords="campaign", keywords="geriatric", keywords="aging", abstract="Background: Understanding advocacy strategies is essential to improving dementia awareness, reducing stigma, supporting cognitive health promotion, and influencing policy to support people living with dementia. However, there is a dearth of evidence-based research on advocacy strategies used to support dementia awareness. Objective: This study aimed to use posts from X (formerly known as Twitter) to understand dementia advocacy strategies during World Alzheimer's Awareness Month in September 2022. Methods: Posts were scraped from X during World Alzheimer's Awareness Month from September 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022. After applying filters, 1981 relevant posts were analyzed using thematic analysis, and measures were taken to support trustworthiness and rigor. Results: Our study revealed a variety of advocacy strategies, including sharing the voices of lived experience, targeting ethnic and cultural groups, myth-busting strategies, and political lobbying. Although a range of strategies were identified, further research is needed to examine advocacy strategies within different countries and political contexts. Furthermore, the impact of specific strategies on stigma reduction, cognitive health promotion, and policy change needs to be scientifically evaluated. Conclusions: Our study offers valuable insight into strategies to bolster dementia advocacy and awareness campaigns to support people living with dementia. Findings from our research may provide critical insight for policymakers, organizations, and health professionals working to reduce dementia-related stigma and increase the uptake of risk-reduction activities to support the promotion of cognitive health. ", doi="10.2196/63464", url="https://infodemiology.jmir.org/2024/1/e63464", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39729354" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/60312, author="Ogundiya, Oluwadamilola and Rahman, Jasmine Thahmina and Valnarov-Boulter, Ioan and Young, Michael Tim", title="Looking Back on Digital Medical Education Over the Last 25 Years and Looking to the Future: Narrative Review", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2024", month="Dec", day="19", volume="26", pages="e60312", keywords="digital health", keywords="digital medical education", keywords="health education", keywords="medical education", keywords="mobile phone", keywords="artificial intelligence", keywords="AI", abstract="Background: The last 25 years have seen enormous progression in digital technologies across the whole of the health service, including health education. The rapid evolution and use of web-based and digital techniques have been significantly transforming this field since the beginning of the new millennium. These advancements continue to progress swiftly, even more so after the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: This narrative review aims to outline and discuss the developments that have taken place in digital medical education across the defined time frame. In addition, evidence for potential opportunities and challenges facing digital medical education in the near future was collated for analysis. Methods: Literature reviews were conducted using PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Embase. The participants and learners in this study included medical students, physicians in training or continuing professional development, nurses, paramedics, and patients. Results: Evidence of the significant steps in the development of digital medical education in the past 25 years was presented and analyzed in terms of application, impact, and implications for the future. The results were grouped into the following themes for discussion: learning management systems; telemedicine (in digital medical education); mobile health; big data analytics; the metaverse, augmented reality, and virtual reality; the COVID-19 pandemic; artificial intelligence; and ethics and cybersecurity. Conclusions: Major changes and developments in digital medical education have occurred from around the start of the new millennium. Key steps in this journey include technical developments in teleconferencing and learning management systems, along with a marked increase in mobile device use for accessing learning over this time. While the pace of evolution in digital medical education accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, further rapid progress has continued since the resolution of the pandemic. Many of these changes are currently being widely used in health education and other fields, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, providing significant future potential. The opportunities these technologies offer must be balanced against the associated challenges in areas such as cybersecurity, the integrity of web-based assessments, ethics, and issues of digital privacy to ensure that digital medical education continues to thrive in the future. ", doi="10.2196/60312", url="https://www.jmir.org/2024/1/e60312" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/60500, author="Coican, Alexis and Marroquin, A. Nathaniel and Carboni, Alexa and Holt, Sara and Zueger, Morgan", title="How Dermatologists Can Aid Nondermatologic Professionals Using the Figure 1 App: Case Analysis", journal="JMIR Dermatol", year="2024", month="Nov", day="13", volume="7", pages="e60500", keywords="dermatology", keywords="app", keywords="nondermatologic professional", keywords="dermatologist", keywords="nondermatologist", keywords="mHealth", keywords="health professional", keywords="medical education", keywords="social media", keywords="treatment", keywords="diagnostic", doi="10.2196/60500", url="https://derma.jmir.org/2024/1/e60500" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/52924, author="Elhariry, Maiar and Malhotra, Kashish and Goyal, Kashish and Bardus, Marco and Team, CoMICs SIMBA and and Kempegowda, Punith", title="A SIMBA CoMICs Initiative to Cocreating and Disseminating Evidence-Based, Peer-Reviewed Short Videos on Social Media: Mixed Methods Prospective Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2024", month="Oct", day="30", volume="10", pages="e52924", keywords="influencers", keywords="social media", keywords="public engagement", keywords="apps", keywords="healthcare", keywords="medical students", keywords="online medical information", keywords="simulation", keywords="peer-reviewed information", abstract="Background: Social media is a powerful platform for disseminating health information, yet it is often riddled with misinformation. Further, few guidelines exist for producing reliable, peer-reviewed content. This study describes a framework for creating and disseminating evidence-based videos on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and thyroid conditions to improve health literacy and tackle misinformation. Objective: The study aims to evaluate the creation, dissemination, and impact of evidence-based, peer-reviewed short videos on PCOS and thyroid disorders across social media. It also explores the experiences of content creators and assesses audience engagement. Methods: This mixed methods prospective study was conducted between December 2022 and May 2023 and comprised five phases: (1) script generation, (2) video creation, (3) cross-platform publication, (4) process evaluation, and (5) impact evaluation. The SIMBA-CoMICs (Simulation via Instant Messaging for Bedside Application--Combined Medical Information Cines) initiative provides a structured process where medical concepts are simplified and converted to visually engaging videos. The initiative recruited medical students interested in making visually appealing and scientifically accurate videos for social media. The students were then guided to create video scripts based on frequently searched PCOS- and thyroid-related topics. Once experts confirmed the accuracy of the scripts, the medical students produced the videos. The videos were checked by clinical experts and experts with lived experience to ensure clarity and engagement. The SIMBA-CoMICs team then guided the students in editing these videos to fit platform requirements before posting them on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. Engagement metrics were tracked over 2 months. Content creators were interviewed, and thematic analysis was performed to explore their experiences. Results: The 20 videos received 718 likes, 120 shares, and 54,686 views across all platforms, with TikTok (19,458 views) and Twitter (19,678 views) being the most popular. Engagement increased significantly, with follower growth ranging from 5\% on Twitter to 89\% on TikTok. Thematic analysis of interviews with 8 out of 38 participants revealed 4 key themes: views on social media, advice for using social media, reasons for participating, and reflections on the project. Content creators highlighted the advantages of social media, such as large outreach (12 references), convenience (10 references), and accessibility to opportunities (7 references). Participants appreciated the nonrestrictive participation criteria, convenience (8 references), and the ability to record from home using prewritten scripts (6 references). Further recommendations to improve the content creation experience included awareness of audience demographics (9 references), sharing content on multiple platforms (5 references), and collaborating with organizations (3 references). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the SIMBA CoMICs initiative in training medical students to create accurate medical information on PCOS and thyroid disorders for social media dissemination. The model offers a scalable solution to combat misinformation and improve health literacy. ", doi="10.2196/52924", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2024/1/e52924" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/55149, author="Clavier, Thomas and Chevalier, Emma and Demailly, Zo{\'e} and Veber, Benoit and Messaadi, Imad-Abdelkader and Popoff, Benjamin", title="Social Media Usage for Medical Education and Smartphone Addiction Among Medical Students: National Web-Based Survey", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2024", month="Oct", day="22", volume="10", pages="e55149", keywords="medical student", keywords="social network", keywords="social media", keywords="smartphone addiction", keywords="medical education", keywords="mobile addiction", keywords="social networks", abstract="Background: Social media (SoMe) have taken a major place in the medical field, and younger generations are increasingly using them as their primary source to find information. Objective: This study aimed to describe the use of SoMe for medical education among French medical students and assess the prevalence of smartphone addiction in this population. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among French medical students (second to sixth year of study). The questionnaire collected information on SoMe use for medical education and professional behavior. Smartphone addiction was assessed using the Smartphone Addiction Scale Short-Version (SAS-SV) score. Results: A total of 762 medical students responded to the survey. Of these, 762 (100\%) were SoMe users, spending a median of 120 (IQR 60?150) minutes per day on SoMe; 656 (86.1\%) used SoMe for medical education, with YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook being the most popular platforms. The misuse of SoMe in a professional context was also identified; 27.2\% (207/762) of students posted hospital internship content, and 10.8\% (82/762) searched for a patient's name on SoMe. Smartphone addiction was prevalent among 29.1\% (222/762) of respondents, with a significant correlation between increased SoMe use and SAS-SV score (r=0.39, 95\% CI 0.33?0.45; P<.001). Smartphone-addicted students reported a higher impact on study time (211/222, 95\% vs 344/540, 63.6\%; P<.001) and a greater tendency to share hospital internship content on social networks (78/222, 35.1\% vs 129/540, 23.8\%; P=.002). Conclusions: Our findings reveal the extensive use of SoMe for medical education among French medical students, alongside a notable prevalence of smartphone addiction. These results highlight the need for medical schools and educators to address the responsible use of SoMe and develop strategies to mitigate the risks associated with excessive use and addiction. ", doi="10.2196/55149", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2024/1/e55149" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/45291, author="Bhandoria, Geetu and Bilir, Esra and Uwins, Christina and Vidal-Alaball, Josep and Fuster-Casanovas, A{\"i}na and Ahmed, Wasim", title="Impact of a New Gynecologic Oncology Hashtag During Virtual-Only ASCO Annual Meetings: An X (Twitter) Social Network Analysis", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2024", month="Aug", day="14", volume="10", pages="e45291", keywords="social media", keywords="academic tweeting", keywords="hashtag", keywords="gynecologic oncology", keywords="Twitter", keywords="ASCO", keywords="gynecology", keywords="oncology", keywords="virtual", keywords="engagement", keywords="software application", keywords="users", keywords="cancer", keywords="social network", keywords="health promotion", abstract="Background: Official conference hashtags are commonly used to promote tweeting and social media engagement. The reach and impact of introducing a new hashtag during an oncology conference have yet to be studied. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conducts an annual global meeting, which was entirely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Objective: This study aimed to assess the reach and impact (in the form of vertices and edges generated) and X (formerly Twitter) activity of the new hashtags \#goASCO20 and \#goASCO21 in the ASCO 2020 and 2021 virtual conferences. Methods: New hashtags (\#goASCO20 and \#goASCO21) were created for the ASCO virtual conferences in 2020 and 2021 to help focus gynecologic oncology discussion at the ASCO meetings. Data were retrieved using these hashtags (\#goASCO20 for 2020 and \#goASCO21 for 2021). A social network analysis was performed using the NodeXL software application. Results: The hashtags \#goASCO20 and \#goASCO21 had similar impacts on the social network. Analysis of the reach and impact of the individual hashtags found \#goASCO20 to have 150 vertices and 2519 total edges and \#goASCO20 to have 174 vertices and 2062 total edges. Mentions and tweets between 2020 and 2021 were also similar. The circles representing different users were spatially arranged in a more balanced way in 2021. Tweets using the \#goASCO21 hashtag received significantly more responses than tweets using \#goASCO20 (75 times in 2020 vs 360 times in 2021; z value=16.63 and P<.001). This indicates increased engagement in the subsequent year. Conclusions: Introducing a gynecologic oncology specialty--specific hashtag (\#goASCO20 and \#goASCO21) that is related but different from the official conference hashtag (\#ASCO20 and \#ASCO21) helped facilitate discussion on topics of interest to gynecologic oncologists during a virtual pan-oncology meeting. This impact was visible in the social network analysis. ", doi="10.2196/45291", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2024/1/e45291" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/55680, author="Campbell, Laura and Quicke, Jonathan and Stevenson, Kay and Paskins, Zoe and Dziedzic, Krysia and Swaithes, Laura", title="Using Twitter (X) to Mobilize Knowledge for First Contact Physiotherapists: Qualitative Study", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2024", month="Jul", day="8", volume="26", pages="e55680", keywords="Twitter", keywords="X", keywords="social media", keywords="first contact physiotherapy", keywords="musculoskeletal", keywords="knowledge mobilisation", keywords="primary care", keywords="mindlines", keywords="qualitative", keywords="physiotherapy", keywords="implementation", abstract="Background: Twitter (now X) is a digital social network commonly used by health care professionals. Little is known about whether it helps health care professionals to share, mobilize, and cocreate knowledge or reduce the time between research knowledge being created and used in clinical practice (the evidence-to-practice gap). Musculoskeletal first contact physiotherapists (FCPs) are primary care specialists who diagnose and treat people with musculoskeletal conditions without needing to see their general practitioner (family physician) first. They often work as a sole FCP in practice; hence, they are an ideal health care professional group with whom to explore knowledge mobilization using Twitter. Objective: We aimed to explore how Twitter is and can be used to mobilize knowledge, including research findings, to inform FCPs' clinical practice. Methods: Semistructured interviews of FCPs with experience of working in English primary care were conducted. FCPs were purposively sampled based on employment arrangements and Twitter use. Recruitment was accomplished via known FCP networks and Twitter, supplemented by snowball sampling. Interviews were conducted digitally and used a topic guide exploring FCP's perceptions and experiences of accessing knowledge, via Twitter, for clinical practice. Data were analyzed thematically and informed by the knowledge mobilization mindlines model. Public contributors were involved throughout. Results: In total, 19 FCPs consented to the interview (Twitter users, n=14 and female, n=9). Three themes were identified: (1) How Twitter meets the needs of FCPs, (2) Twitter and a journey of knowledge to support clinical practice, and (3) factors impeding knowledge sharing on Twitter. FCPs described needs relating to isolated working practices, time demands, and role uncertainty. Twitter provided rapid access to succinct knowledge, the opportunity to network, and peer reassurance regarding clinical cases, evidence, and policy. FCPs took a journey of knowledge exchange on Twitter, including scrolling for knowledge, filtering for credibility and adapting knowledge for in-service training and clinical practice. Participants engaged best with images and infographics. FCPs described misinformation, bias, echo chambers, unprofessionalism, hostility, privacy concerns and blurred personal boundaries as factors impeding knowledge sharing on Twitter. Consequently, many did not feel confident enough to actively participate on Twitter. Conclusions: This study explores how Twitter is and can be used to mobilize knowledge to inform FCP clinical practice. Twitter can meet the knowledge needs of FCPs through rapid access to succinct knowledge, networking opportunities, and professional reassurance. The journey of knowledge exchange from Twitter to clinical practice can be explained by considering the mindlines model, which describes how FCPs exchange knowledge in digital and offline contexts. Findings demonstrate that Twitter can be a useful adjunct to FCP practice, although several factors impede knowledge sharing on the platform. We recommend social media training and enhanced governance guidance from professional bodies to support the use of Twitter for knowledge mobilization. ", doi="10.2196/55680", url="https://www.jmir.org/2024/1/e55680", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38742615" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/51418, author="Roberts-Lewis, Sarah and Baxter, Helen and Mein, Gill and Quirke-McFarlane, Sophia and Leggat, J. Fiona and Garner, Hannah and Powell, Martha and White, Sarah and Bearne, Lindsay", title="Examining the Effectiveness of Social Media for the Dissemination of Research Evidence for Health and Social Care Practitioners: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2024", month="Jun", day="5", volume="26", pages="e51418", keywords="social media", keywords="dissemination", keywords="health care", keywords="social care", keywords="research evidence", keywords="practitioners", keywords="effectiveness", keywords="meta-analysis", keywords="systematic review", keywords="randomized controlled trial", keywords="RCT", abstract="Background: Social media use has potential to facilitate the rapid dissemination of research evidence to busy health and social care practitioners. Objective: This study aims to quantitatively synthesize evidence of the between- and within-group effectiveness of social media for dissemination of research evidence to health and social care practitioners. It also compared effectiveness between different social media platforms, formats, and strategies. Methods: We searched electronic databases for articles in English that were published between January 1, 2010, and January 10, 2023, and that evaluated social media interventions for disseminating research evidence to qualified, postregistration health and social care practitioners in measures of reach, engagement, direct dissemination, or impact. Screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessments were carried out by at least 2 independent reviewers. Meta-analyses of standardized pooled effects were carried out for between- and within-group effectiveness of social media and comparisons between platforms, formats, and strategies. Certainty of evidence for outcomes was assessed using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations) framework. Results: In total, 50 mixed-quality articles that were heterogeneous in design and outcome were included (n=9, 18\% were randomized controlled trials [RCTs]). Reach (measured in number of practitioners, impressions, or post views) was reported in 26 studies. Engagement (measured in likes or post interactions) was evaluated in 21 studies. Direct dissemination (measured in link clicks, article views, downloads, or altmetric attention score) was analyzed in 23 studies (8 RCTs). Impact (measured in citations or measures of thinking and practice) was reported in 13 studies. Included studies almost universally indicated effects in favor of social media interventions, although effect sizes varied. Cumulative evidence indicated moderate certainty of large and moderate between-group effects of social media interventions on direct dissemination (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.88; P=.02) and impact (SMD 0.76; P<.001). After social media interventions, cumulative evidence showed moderate certainty of large within-group effects on reach (SMD 1.99; P<.001), engagement (SMD 3.74; P<.001), and direct dissemination (SMD 0.82; P=.004) and low certainty of a small within-group effect on impacting thinking or practice (SMD 0.45; P=.02). There was also evidence for the effectiveness of using multiple social media platforms (including Twitter, subsequently rebranded X; and Facebook), images (particularly infographics), and intensive social media strategies with frequent, daily posts and involving influential others. No included studies tested the dissemination of research evidence to social care practitioners. Conclusions: Social media was effective for disseminating research evidence to health care practitioners. More intense social media campaigns using specific platforms, formats, and strategies may be more effective than less intense interventions. Implications include recommendations for effective dissemination of research evidence to health care practitioners and further RCTs in this field, particularly investigating the dissemination of social care research. Trial Registration: PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42022378793; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display\_record.php?RecordID=378793 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/45684 ", doi="10.2196/51418", url="https://www.jmir.org/2024/1/e51418", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38838330" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/49335, author="Gouy, Giulia and Attali, Luisa and Voillot, Pam{\'e}la and Fournet, Patrick and Agostini, Aubert", title="Experiences of Women With Medical Abortion Care Reflected in Social Media (VEILLE Study): Noninterventional Retrospective Exploratory Infodemiology Study", journal="JMIR Infodemiology", year="2024", month="May", day="2", volume="4", pages="e49335", keywords="infodemiology", keywords="medical abortion", keywords="patient experience", keywords="real-world evidence", keywords="social media", keywords="abortion", keywords="women's health", keywords="reproduction", keywords="reproductive", keywords="obstetric", keywords="obstetrics", keywords="gynecology", keywords="gynecological", keywords="text mining", keywords="topic model", keywords="topic modeling", keywords="natural language processing", keywords="NLP", abstract="Background: Abortion (also known as termination of pregnancy) is an essential element of women's reproductive health care. Feedback from women who underwent medical termination of pregnancy about their experience is crucial to help practitioners identify women's needs and develop necessary tools to improve the abortion care process. However, the collection of this feedback is quite challenging. Social media offer anonymity for women who share their abortion experience. Objective: This exploratory infodemiology study aimed to analyze, through French social media posts, personal medical symptoms and the different experiences and information dynamics associated with the medical abortion process. Methods: A retrospective study was performed by analyzing posts geolocated in France and published from January 1, 2017, to November 30, 2021. Posts were extracted from all French-language general and specialized publicly available web forums using specific keywords. Extracted messages were cleaned and pseudonymized. Automatic natural language processing methods were used to identify posts from women having experienced medical abortion. Biterm topic modeling was used to identify the main discussion themes and the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities was used to identify medical terms. Encountered difficulties were explored using qualitative research methods until the saturation of concepts was reached. Results: Analysis of 5398 identified posts (3409 users) led to the identification of 9 major topics: personal experience (n=2413 posts, 44.7\%), community support (n=1058, 19.6\%), pain and bleeding (n=797, 14.8\%), psychological experience (n=760, 14.1\%), questioned efficacy (n=410, 7.6\%), social pressure (n=373, 6.9\%), positive experiences (n=257, 4.8\%), menstrual cycle disorders (n=107, 2\%), and reported inefficacy (n=104, 1.9\%). Pain, which was mentioned in 1627 (30.1\%) of the 5398 posts by 1024 (30.0\%) of the 3409 users, was the most frequently reported medical term. Pain was considered severe to unbearable in 24.5\% of the cases (399 of the 1627 posts). Lack of information was the most frequently reported difficulty during and after the process. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that French women used social media to share their experiences, offer and find support, and provide and receive information regarding medical abortion. Infodemiology appears to be a useful tool to obtain women's feedback, therefore offering the opportunity to enhance care in women undergoing medical abortion. ", doi="10.2196/49335", url="https://infodemiology.jmir.org/2024/1/e49335", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38696232" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/51127, author="Gaysynsky, Anna and Senft Everson, Nicole and Heley, Kathryn and Chou, Sylvia Wen-Ying", title="Perceptions of Health Misinformation on Social Media: Cross-Sectional Survey Study", journal="JMIR Infodemiology", year="2024", month="Apr", day="30", volume="4", pages="e51127", keywords="social media", keywords="misinformation", keywords="health communication", keywords="health literacy", keywords="patient-provider communication", abstract="Background: Health misinformation on social media can negatively affect knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, undermining clinical care and public health efforts. Therefore, it is vital to better understand the public's experience with health misinformation on social media. Objective: The goal of this analysis was to examine perceptions of the social media information environment and identify associations between health misinformation perceptions and health communication behaviors among US adults. Methods: Analyses used data from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (N=6252). Weighted unadjusted proportions described respondents' perceptions of the amount of false or misleading health information on social media (``perceived misinformation amount'') and how difficult it is to discern true from false information on social media (``perceived discernment difficulty''). Weighted multivariable logistic regressions examined (1) associations of sociodemographic characteristics and subjective literacy measures with misinformation perceptions and (2) relationships between misinformation perceptions and health communication behaviors (ie, sharing personal or general health information on social media and using social media information in health decisions or in discussions with health care providers). Results: Over one-third of social media users (35.61\%) perceived high levels of health misinformation, and approximately two-thirds (66.56\%) reported high perceived discernment difficulty. Odds of perceiving high amounts of misinformation were lower among non-Hispanic Black/African American (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.407, 95\% CI 0.282-0.587) and Hispanic (aOR 0.610, 95\% CI 0.449-0.831) individuals compared to White individuals. Those with lower subjective health literacy were less likely to report high perceived misinformation amount (aOR 0.602, 95\% CI 0.374-0.970), whereas those with lower subjective digital literacy were more likely to report high perceived misinformation amount (aOR 1.775, 95\% CI 1.400-2.251). Compared to White individuals, Hispanic individuals had lower odds of reporting high discernment difficulty (aOR 0.620, 95\% CI 0.462-0.831). Those with lower subjective digital literacy (aOR 1.873, 95\% CI 1.478-2.374) or numeracy (aOR 1.465, 95\% CI 1.047-2.049) were more likely to report high discernment difficulty. High perceived misinformation amount was associated with lower odds of sharing general health information on social media (aOR 0.742, 95\% CI 0.568-0.968), using social media information to make health decisions (aOR 0.273, 95\% CI 0.156-0.479), and using social media information in discussions with health care providers (aOR 0.460, 95\% CI 0.323-0.655). High perceived discernment difficulty was associated with higher odds of using social media information in health decisions (aOR 1.724, 95\% CI 1.208-2.460) and health care provider discussions (aOR 1.389, 95\% CI 1.035-1.864). Conclusions: Perceptions of high health misinformation prevalence and discernment difficulty are widespread among social media users, and each has unique associations with sociodemographic characteristics, literacy, and health communication behaviors. These insights can help inform future health communication interventions. ", doi="10.2196/51127", url="https://infodemiology.jmir.org/2024/1/e51127", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38687591" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/50443, author="Garrett, Camryn and Aghaei, Atefeh and Aggarwal, Abhishek and Qiao, Shan", title="The Role of Social Media in the Experiences of COVID-19 Among Long-Hauler Women: Qualitative Study", journal="JMIR Hum Factors", year="2024", month="Apr", day="23", volume="11", pages="e50443", keywords="COVID-19", keywords="long COVID", keywords="long-haulers", keywords="women", keywords="gender", keywords="social media", keywords="digital media", keywords="qualitative study", abstract="Background: The extant literature suggests that women are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and at higher risk for developing long COVID. Due to pandemic mitigation recommendations, social media was relied upon for various aspects of daily life, likely with differences of usage between genders. Objective: This study aimed to explore the role and functions of social media in the lives of long-hauler women. Methods: Participants were purposively snowball-sampled from an online health promotion intervention for long-hauler women with COVID-19 from March to June 2021. During this time, one-on-one, semistructured interviews were conducted online until data saturation was agreed to have been achieved (ie, 15 interviews). Interview transcripts and field notes were analyzed using an emergent, inductive approach. Results: In total, 15 women were enrolled. The main roles of social media included facilitating support group participation, experience sharing, interpersonal connections, and media consumption. Emergent themes demonstrated that participants rely on social media to fulfill needs of emotional support, social engagement, spirituality, health planning, information gathering, professional support, and recreationally for relaxation. As long-hauler women turn to social media to discuss symptom and health management as well as the intention to vaccinate, this study demonstrates both the associated benefits (ie, decreased isolation) and challenges (ie, misinformation, rumination, resentment, jealousy). Conclusions: The public health implications of these findings support the development of gender-tailored health promotion interventions that leverage the benefits of social media, while mitigating the negative impacts, for women with long COVID. ", doi="10.2196/50443", url="https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2024/1/e50443", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38652515" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/45150, author="AL-Rumhi, Alya and AL-Rasbi, Samira and Momani, M. Aaliyah", title="The Use of Social Media by Clinical Nurse Specialists at a Tertiary Hospital: Mixed Methods Study", journal="JMIR Nursing", year="2023", month="Aug", day="24", volume="6", pages="e45150", keywords="social media", keywords="clinical nurse specialist", keywords="cross-sectional", keywords="tertiary hospital", keywords="Oman", keywords="health education tool", abstract="Background: Recently, many health care professionals, who use social media to communicate with patients and colleagues, share information about medical research and promote public health campaigns. Objective: This study aimed to examine the motives, barriers, and implementation of social media use among clinical nurse specialists in Oman. Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted among 47 clinical nurse specialists at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital between November and December 2020. Qualitative data were collected using an open-ended questionnaire and analyzed using thematic analysis, and quantitative data were collected with a questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS (version 21.0; IBM Corp). Results: Of the 47 clinical nurse specialists surveyed, 43 (91.5\%) responded. All respondents reported using social media applications, with WhatsApp being the most commonly used platform. Most respondents (n=18, 41.9\%) spent 1-2 hours per day on social media. The main motives for using social media were increasing knowledge, communication, reaching patients easily, and reducing the number of hospital visits. The main barriers to social media use were privacy concerns, time constraints, and a lack of awareness of legal guidelines for social media use in the workplace. All participants requested clear rules and regulations regarding the use of social media among health care providers in the future. Conclusions: Social media has the option to be a powerful institutional communication and health education tool for clinical nurse specialists in Oman. However, several obstacles must be addressed, including privacy concerns and the need for clear guidelines on social media use in the workplace. Our findings suggest that health care institutions and clinical nurse specialists must work together to overcome these impediments and leverage the benefits of social media for health care.Bottom of Form ", doi="10.2196/45150", url="https://nursing.jmir.org/2023/1/e45150", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37616026" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/45277, author="McQuade, N. Casey and Simonson, G. Michael and Ehrenberger, A. Kristen and Kohli, Amar", title="Developing a Web-Based Asynchronous Case Discussion Format on Social Media to Teach Clinical Reasoning: Mixed Methods Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2023", month="Aug", day="9", volume="9", pages="e45277", keywords="case discussion", keywords="case report", keywords="clinical reasoning", keywords="clinical vignette", keywords="junior doctor", keywords="junior physician", keywords="medical education", keywords="medical student", keywords="morning report", keywords="report style", keywords="resident", keywords="social media", keywords="trainee", keywords="Twitter", abstract="Background: Case-based learning conferences are valuable to trainees, but growing clinical demands hinder consistent attendance. Social media increasingly acts as a venue for trainees to supplement their education asynchronously. We designed and implemented a web-based asynchronous clinical case discussion series on the Twitter social media platform to fill this educational gap. Objective: The aim of this mixed methods study is to examine the nature of interactions among web-based case discussion participants and assess local attitudes regarding the educational intervention. Methods: Starting in February 2018, we posted clinical vignettes to a dedicated Twitter account with the prompt ``What else do you want to know?'' to stimulate discussion. The authors replied in real time when case discussion participants requested additional details. Additional data about the case were posted at regular intervals to the discussion thread to advance the overall case discussion. Participants were asked to explain their reasoning and support their conclusions when appropriate. Web-based engagement was assessed using Twitter Analytics. Participants' posts were qualitatively analyzed for themes, with special attention to examples of using clinical reasoning skills. A codebook of types of participant posts and interactions was refined iteratively. Local engagement and attitudes at our institution were assessed by surveying internal medicine trainees (n=182) and faculty (n=165) after 6 months. Results: Over a 6-month period, 11 live case discussions were engaged with by users 1773 times. A total of 86 Twitter profiles spanning 22 US states and 6 countries contributed to discussions among participants and the authors. Participants from all training levels were present, ranging from students to faculty. Interactions among participants and the case moderators were most commonly driven by clinical reasoning, including hypothesis-driven information gathering, discussing the differential diagnosis, and data interpretation or organization. Of 71 respondents to the local survey, 29 (41\%) reported having a Twitter account. Of the 29 respondents with Twitter accounts, 17 (59\%) reported participating in the case discussions. Respondents agreed that case participation increased both their clinical reasoning skills (15/17, 88\%) and clinical knowledge (13/17, 76\%). Conclusions: A social media--based serialized case discussion was a feasible asynchronous teaching method for engaging web-based learners of all levels in a clinical reasoning discussion. Further study should examine what factors drive trainee participation in web-based case discussions and under what circumstances asynchronous discussion might be preferred over in-person teaching activities. ", doi="10.2196/45277", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2023/1/e45277", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37556191" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/44116, author="Islam, Aminul Md and Rabbani, Golam Md and Rahaman, Zamilur and Joarder, Taufique", title="Professional Relationship Between Physicians and Journalists in Bangladesh: Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study", journal="Interact J Med Res", year="2023", month="Jul", day="10", volume="12", pages="e44116", keywords="medicine", keywords="media", keywords="physician", keywords="journalist", keywords="communication", keywords="health policy", keywords="Bangladesh", abstract="Background: A health care system is intertwined with multiple stakeholders, including government institutions, pharmaceutical companies, patients, hospitals and clinics, health care professionals, health researchers and scientific medical experts, patients and consumer organizations, and media organizations. Physicians and journalists are the key actors who play a significant role in making health care services and health information accessible to the people of a country. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the tensions and alliances between physicians and journalists in Bangladesh, along with identifying strategies that could potentially improve the often contentious relationship and quality of medical journalism. Methods: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey using the snowball sampling technique from September 2021 to March 2022. Adult Bangladeshi citizens belonging to the two selected professional groups (physicians and journalists), who understood the survey content, and agreed to participate in the survey were considered eligible for inclusion in the study. Both descriptive and logistic regression analyses, including the Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test, were performed to determine the differences between groups concerning selected perception-related variables, and the associations of perceptions about lack of trust in each other's knowledge, skills, and professional integrity with background characteristics. Results: A total of 419 participants completed the survey, including 219 physicians and 200 journalists. Among physicians, 53.4\% (117/219) reported lower trust toward journalists' professional domain and expertise, whereas 43.5\% (87/200) of journalists had lower trust toward physicians' professional domain and expertise. In terms of perception about not having respect for each other, the median value for the physicians was 5 (strongly agree), whereas it was only 3 (agree) for the journalists. We also found that male physicians (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.45, compared with female physicians) and medical officers (AOR 0.30, compared with specialists) had significantly higher odds of lacking trust in journalists' knowledge, skills, and professional integrity. When rating the statement ``Regular professional interaction between journalists and doctors may improve the relationship between the professional groups,'' most physicians (186/219, 84.9\%) chose ``neither agree nor disagree,'' whereas most journalists (106/200, 53.0\%) stated that they ``slightly agree.'' Conclusions: Both physicians and journalists in Bangladesh have negative perceptions of each other's professions. However, physicians have a more negative perception of journalists than journalists have of the physicians. Strategies such as a legal framework to identify medical-legal issues in reporting, constructive discussion, professional interaction, and capacity-building training programs may significantly improve the relationship between physicians and journalists. ", doi="10.2196/44116", url="https://www.i-jmr.org/2023/1/e44116", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37428550" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/39831, author="Dunn, Tyler and Patel, Shyam and Milam, J. Adam and Brinkman, Joseph and Gorlin, Andrew and Harbell, W. Monica", title="Influence of Social Media on Applicant Perceptions of Anesthesiology Residency Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Quantitative Survey", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2023", month="Jun", day="29", volume="9", pages="e39831", keywords="anesthesiology residency", keywords="application", keywords="COVID-19 pandemic", keywords="social media", keywords="impact", keywords="residency", keywords="anesthesia", keywords="anesthesiology", keywords="pandemic", keywords="effectiveness", keywords="restrictions", keywords="barriers", keywords="rotations", keywords="visits", keywords="interviews", keywords="applicants", keywords="perception", keywords="students", keywords="program", abstract="Background: Social media may be an effective tool in residency recruitment, given its ability to engage a broad audience; however, there are limited data regarding the influence of social media on applicants' evaluation of anesthesiology residency programs. Objective: This study evaluates the influence of social media on applicants' perceptions of anesthesiology residency programs during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow programs to evaluate the importance of a social media presence for residency recruitment. The study also sought to understand if there were differences in the use of social media by applicant demographic characteristics (eg, race, ethnicity, gender, and age). We hypothesized that given the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on visiting rotations and the interview process, the social media presence of anesthesiology residency programs would have a positive impact on the recruitment process and be an effective form of communication about program characteristics. Methods: All anesthesiology residency applicants who applied to Mayo Clinic Arizona were emailed a survey in October 2020 along with statements regarding the anonymity and optional nature of the survey. The 20-item Qualtrics survey included questions regarding subinternship rotation completion, social media resource use and impact (eg, ``residency-based social media accounts positively impacted my opinion of the program''), and applicant demographic characteristics. Descriptive statistics were examined, and perceptions of social media were stratified by gender, race, and ethnicity; a factor analysis was performed, and the resulting scale was regressed on race, ethnicity, age, and gender. Results: The survey was emailed to 1091 individuals who applied to the Mayo Clinic Arizona anesthesiology residency program; there were 640 unique responses recorded (response rate=58.6\%). Nearly 65\% of applicants reported an inability to complete 2 or more planned subinternships due to COVID-19 restrictions (n=361, 55.9\%), with 25\% of applicants reporting inability to do any visiting student rotations (n=167). Official program websites (91.5\%), Doximity (47.6\%), Instagram (38.5\%), and Twitter (19.4\%) were reported as the most used resources by applicants. The majority of applicants (n=385, 67.3\%) agreed that social media was an effective means to inform applicants, and 57.5\% (n=328) of them indicated that social media positively impacted their perception of the program. An 8-item scale with good reliability was created, representing the importance of social media (Cronbach $\alpha$=.838). There was a positive and statistically significant relationship such that male applicants (standardized $\beta$=.151; P=.002) and older applicants ($\beta$=.159; P<.001) had less trust and reliance in social media for information regarding anesthesiology residency programs. The applicants' race and ethnicity were not associated with the social media scale ($\beta$=--.089; P=.08). Conclusions: Social media was an effective means to inform applicants, and generally positively impacted applicants' perception of programs. Thus, residency programs should consider investing time and resources toward building a social media presence to improve resident recruitment. ", doi="10.2196/39831", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2023/1/e39831", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37205642" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/38377, author="Moretti, Valentina and Brunelli, Laura and Conte, Alessandro and Valdi, Giulia and Guelfi, Renza Maria and Masoni, Marco and Anelli, Filippo and Arnoldo, Luca", title="A Web Tool to Help Counter the Spread of Misinformation and Fake News: Pre-Post Study Among Medical Students to Increase Digital Health Literacy", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2023", month="Apr", day="18", volume="9", pages="e38377", keywords="infodemic", keywords="fake news", keywords="education", keywords="digital health literacy", keywords="medical education", keywords="medical student", keywords="health information", keywords="social media", keywords="health literacy", keywords="online learning", keywords="digital education", keywords="COVID-19", abstract="Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by the spread of uncontrolled health information and fake news, which also quickly became an infodemic. Emergency communication is a challenge for public health institutions to engage the public during disease outbreaks. Health professionals need a high level of digital health literacy (DHL) to cope with difficulties; therefore, efforts should be made to address this issue starting from undergraduate medical students. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the DHL skills of Italian medical students and the effectiveness of an informatics course offered by the University of Florence (Italy). This course focuses on assessing the quality of medical information using the ``dottoremaeveroche'' (DMEVC) web resource offered by the Italian National Federation of Orders of Surgeons and Dentists, and on health information management. Methods: A pre-post study was conducted at the University of Florence between November and December 2020. First-year medical students participated in a web-based survey before and after attending the informatics course. The DHL level was self-assessed using the eHealth Literacy Scale for Italy (IT-eHEALS) tool and questions about the features and quality of the resources. All responses were rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Change in the perception of skills was assessed using the Wilcoxon test. Results: A total of 341 students participated in the survey at the beginning of the informatics course (women: n=211, 61.9\%; mean age 19.8, SD 2.0) and 217 of them (64.2\%) completed the survey at the end of the course. At the first assessment, the DHL level was moderate, with a mean total score of the IT-eHEALS of 2.9 (SD 0.9). Students felt confident about finding health-related information on the internet (mean score of 3.4, SD 1.1), whereas they doubted the usefulness of the information they received (mean score of 2.0, SD 1.0). All scores improved significantly in the second assessment. The overall mean score of the IT-eHEALS significantly increased (P<.001) to 4.2 (SD 0.6). The item with the highest score related to recognizing the quality of health information (mean score of 4.5, SD 0.7), whereas confidence in the practical application of the information received remained the lowest (mean of 3.7, SD 1.1) despite improvement. Almost all students (94.5\%) valued the DMEVC as an educational tool. Conclusions: The DMEVC tool was effective in improving medical students' DHL skills. Effective tools and resources such as the DMEVC website should be used in public health communication to facilitate access to validated evidence and understanding of health recommendations. ", doi="10.2196/38377", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2023/1/e38377", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36996010" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/42609, author="Wojtara, Sara Magda", title="Use of Social Media for Patient Education in Dermatology: Narrative Review", journal="JMIR Dermatol", year="2023", month="Apr", day="14", volume="6", pages="e42609", keywords="dermatology", keywords="health literacy", keywords="innovation", keywords="patient education", keywords="social media", abstract="Background: Social media has rapidly become one of the main avenues for news and communication among those with access to technology. Nearly 60\% or 4.7 billion people worldwide use social media. Different social media networks provide users with a barrage of posts, opinions, and transformations. With this noticeable uptick in physician and patient education usage of social media, exploration of the impacts of social media on patient education in dermatology is crucial. Objective: The goal of this narrative review was to evaluate existing peer-reviewed literature examining the use of social media for patient education in dermatology and to establish trends and implications. Additional attention was given to different social media sites, and potential differences in modalities of posts such as short-form videos on TikTok and Instagram Reels, long-form videos on YouTube, and infographics on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Methods: PubMed, Access DermatologyDxRx, and Scopus searches of peer-reviewed publications were performed to discover articles with social media and patient education keywords in combination with other health care--relevant or dermatology-relevant keywords. Subsequently, the screening of these studies was performed by the author who has experience with education and research experience in health care, dermatology, social media, and telehealth. Ultimately, the selected articles were summarized through qualitative analysis of key points and presented for further discussion. Results: Through this narrative review, the researcher was able to identify several publications focusing on dermatology and social media. Some common subject areas included the use of social media for the promotion of private dermatology practices, residency programs, and research journals. So long as providers, such as dermatologists, take ethical considerations into account, these platforms can provide patients with curated educational content. In addition, several publications emphasized the use of social media as a form of patient education on dermatologic conditions but also as a source of misinformation. Conclusions: This narrative review illuminated the use of social media as a form of patient education for dermatology, with its applications addressed across many demographics and situations. As social media platforms continue to update their algorithms, content filters, and posts, social media may become a reputable form of patient education in dermatology. Future studies and innovations should continue to explore innovations in this space, the efficacy of different modalities of posts, and longitudinal differences in patient outcomes and health literacy. ", doi="10.2196/42609", url="https://derma.jmir.org/2023/1/e42609", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37632938" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/42042, author="Plack, L. Daniel and Abcejo, S. Arnoley and Kraus, B. Molly and Renew, Ross J. and Long, R. Timothy and Sharpe, E. Emily", title="Postgraduate-Year-1 Residents' Perceptions of Social Media and Virtual Applicant Recruitment: Cross-sectional Survey Study", journal="Interact J Med Res", year="2023", month="Mar", day="21", volume="12", pages="e42042", keywords="COVID-19", keywords="resident match", keywords="social media", keywords="Twitter", keywords="Instagram", keywords="virtual interview", keywords="residency", keywords="medical education", keywords="dissemination", keywords="residency program", keywords="residency recruitment", abstract="Background: The dissemination of information about residency programs is a vital step in residency recruitment. Traditional methods of distributing information have been printed brochures, websites, in-person interviews, and increasingly, social media. Away rotations and in-person interviews were cancelled, and interviews were virtual for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: The purpose of our study was to describe postgraduate-year-1 (PGY1) residents' social media habits in regard to residency recruitment and their perceptions of the residency programs' social media accounts in light of the transition to virtual interviews. Methods: A web-based 33-question survey was developed to evaluate personal social media use, perceptions of social media use by residency programs, and perceptions of the residency program content. Surveys were sent in 2021 to PGY1 residents at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota who participated in the 2020-2021 interview cycle. Results: Of the 31 program directors contacted, 22 (71\%) provided permission for their residents to complete the survey. Of 219 residents who received the survey, 67 (30\%) completed the survey. Most respondents applied to a single specialty, and greater than 61\% (41/67) of respondents applied to more than 30 programs. The social media platforms used most regularly by the respondents were Instagram (42/67, 63\%), Facebook (36/67, 54\%), and Twitter (22/67, 33\%). Respondents used the program website (66/67, 99\%), residents (47/67, 70\%), and social media (43/67, 64\%) as the most frequent resources to research programs. The most commonly used social media platforms to research programs were Instagram (38/66, 58\%), Twitter (22/66, 33\%), and Doximity (20/66, 30\%). The type of social media post ranked as most interesting by the respondents was ``resident life outside of the hospital.'' In addition, 68\% (39/57) of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their perception of a program was positively influenced by the residency program's social media account. Conclusions: In this multispecialty survey of PGY1 residents participating in the 2020-2021 virtual interview season, respondents preferred Instagram to Twitter or Facebook for gathering information on prospective residency programs. In addition, the program website, current residents, and social media platforms were the top-ranked resources used by prospective applicants. Having an up-to-date website and robust social media presence, particularly on Instagram, may become increasingly important in the virtual interview environment. ", doi="10.2196/42042", url="https://www.i-jmr.org/2023/1/e42042", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36943340" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/35983, author="Soon, Siang Marcus Khai and Martinengo, Laura and Lu, Junde and Car, Tudor Lorainne and Chia, Khng Clement Luck", title="The Use of Telegram in Surgical Education: Exploratory Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2022", month="Sep", day="27", volume="8", number="3", pages="e35983", keywords="COVID-19", keywords="undergraduate medical education", keywords="distance education", keywords="social media", keywords="Telegram", keywords="general surgery", keywords="messaging apps", abstract="Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted medical education, shifting learning online. Social media platforms, including messaging apps, are well integrated into medical education. However, Telegram's role in medical education remains relatively unexplored. Objective: This study aims to explore the perceptions of medical students regarding the role of messaging apps in medical education and their experience of using Telegram for surgical education. Methods: A Telegram channel ``Telegram Education for Surgery Learning and Application (TESLA)'' was created to supplement medical students' learning. We invited 13 medical students who joined the TESLA channel for at least a month to participate in individual semistructured interviews. Interviews were conducted via videoconferencing using an interview guide and were then transcribed and analyzed by 2 researchers using inductive thematic content analysis. Results: Two themes were identified: (1) learning as a medical student and (2) the role of mobile learning (mLearning) in medical education. Students shared that pandemic-related safety measures, such as reduced clinic allocations and the inability to cross between wards, led to a decrease in clinical exposure. Mobile apps, which included proprietary study apps and messaging apps, were increasingly used by students to aid their learning. Students favored Telegram over other messaging apps and reported the development of TESLA as beneficial, particularly for revision and increasing knowledge. Conclusions: The use of apps for medical education increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical students commonly used apps to consolidate their learning and revise examination topics. They found TESLA useful, relevant, and trustworthy. ", doi="10.2196/35983", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2022/3/e35983", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36099020" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/35585, author="Vuku{\vs}i{\'c} Rukavina, Tea and Machala Popla{\vs}en, Lovela and Majer, Marjeta and Reli{\'c}, Danko and Viski{\'c}, Jo{\vs}ko and Mareli{\'c}, Marko", title="Defining Potentially Unprofessional Behavior on Social Media for Health Care Professionals: Mixed Methods Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2022", month="Aug", day="9", volume="8", number="3", pages="e35585", keywords="professionalism", keywords="e-professionalism", keywords="internet", keywords="social media", keywords="social networking", keywords="medicine", keywords="dental medicine", keywords="health care professionals", keywords="students", keywords="faculty", abstract="Background: Social media presence among health care professionals is ubiquitous and largely beneficial for their personal and professional lives. New standards are forming in the context of e-professionalism, which are loosening the predefined older and offline terms. With these benefits also come dangers, with exposure to evaluation on all levels from peers, superiors, and the public, as witnessed in the \#medbikini movement. Objective: The objectives of this study were to develop an improved coding scheme (SMePROF coding scheme) for the assessment of unprofessional behavior on Facebook of medical or dental students and faculty, compare reliability between coding schemes used in previous research and SMePROF coding scheme, compare gender-based differences for the assessment of the professional content on Facebook, validate the SMePROF coding scheme, and assess the level of and to characterize web-based professionalism on publicly available Facebook profiles of medical or dental students and faculty. Methods: A search was performed via a new Facebook account using a systematic probabilistic sample of students and faculty in the University of Zagreb School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine. Each profile was subsequently assessed with regard to professionalism based on previously published criteria and compared using the SMePROF coding scheme developed for this study. Results: Intercoder reliability increased when the SMePROF coding scheme was used for the comparison of gender-based coding results. Results showed an increase in the gender-based agreement of the final codes for the category professionalism, from 85\% in the first phase to 96.2\% in the second phase. Final results of the second phase showed that there was almost no difference between female and male coders for coding potentially unprofessional content for students (7/240, 2.9\% vs 5/203, 2.5\%) or for coding unprofessional content for students (11/240, 4.6\% vs 11/203, 5.4\%). Comparison of definitive results between the first and second phases indicated an understanding of web-based professionalism, with unprofessional content being very low, both for students (9/222, 4.1\% vs 12/206, 5.8\%) and faculty (1/25, 4\% vs 0/23, 0\%). For assessment of the potentially unprofessional content, we observed a 4-fold decrease, using the SMePROF rubric, for students (26/222, 11.7\% to 6/206, 2.9\%) and a 5-fold decrease for faculty (6/25, 24\% to 1/23, 4\%). Conclusions: SMePROF coding scheme for assessing professionalism of health-care professionals on Facebook is a validated and more objective instrument. This research emphasizes the role that context plays in the perception of unprofessional and potentially unprofessional content and provides insight into the existence of different sets of rules for web-based and offline interaction that marks behavior as unprofessional. The level of e-professionalism on Facebook profiles of medical or dental students and faculty available for public viewing has shown a high level of understanding of e-professionalism. ", doi="10.2196/35585", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2022/3/e35585", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35758" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/26419, author="Tso, Sze Lai", title="Use of Social Media for Implementing Diagnoses, Consultation, Training, and Case Reporting Among Medical Professionals to Improve Patient Care: Case Study of WeChat Groups Across Health Care Settings", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2022", month="Jul", day="29", volume="8", number="3", pages="e26419", keywords="mHealth", keywords="WeChat", keywords="implementation research", keywords="low-resource settings", keywords="innovative medical technologies", keywords="digital health", keywords="medical education", keywords="social media", keywords="mobile health technologies", keywords="bottom-up approach", abstract="Background: Health professionals in low- and middle-resource settings have limited access to up-to-date resources for diagnosing and treating illnesses, training medical staff, reviewing newly disseminated guidelines and publications, and preparing data for international disease reporting. A concomitant difficulty in high-resource settings is the need for continuing education and skills up-training in innovative procedures on unfamiliar social media platforms. These challenges can delay both patient care and epidemiological surveillance efforts. To overcome these challenges, health professionals have adapted WeChat Groups to implement timely, low-cost, and high-quality patient care. Objective: The primary study aim was to describe the processes taken by medical professionals across their diverse physical and virtual networks in adapting a bottom-up approach to collectively overcome resource shortages. The secondary study aim was to delineate the pathways, procedures, and resource/information sharing implemented by medical professionals using an international publicly available popular social media app (WeChat) to enhance performance of facility-based procedures and protocols for improved patient care. Methods: In-depth interviews, observations, and digital ethnography of WeChat Groups communications were collected from medical professionals in interconnected networks of health care facilities. Participants' WeChat Groups usage and observations of their professional functions in interconnected networks were collected from November 2018 to 2019. Qualitative analysis and thematic coding were used to develop constructs and themes in NVivo. Constructs incorporated descriptions for the implementation and uses of WeChat Groups for professional connections, health care procedures, and patient care. Themes supporting the constructs focused on the pathways and venues used by medical professionals to build trust, to establish and solidify online networks, and to identify requests and resource sharing within WeChat Groups. Results: There were 58 participants (males 36 and females 22) distributed across 24 health care settings spanning geographical networks in south China. Analysis yielded 4 constructs and 11 themes delineating the bottom-up usage of WeChat Groups among clinicians, technicians, nurses, pharmacists, and public health administrators. Participants used WeChat Groups for collectively training hospital staff in complex new procedures, processing timely diagnoses of biological specimens, staying abreast of latest trends and clinical procedures and symptoms, and contributing to case reporting for emergent illnesses and international surveillance reporting. An unexpected strength of implementing clinical, training, and research support on a popular app with international coverage is the added ability to overcome administrative and geographic barriers in resource distribution. This advantage increased a network's access to WeChat Groups members both working within China and abroad, greatly expanding the scope of shared resources. Conclusions: The organic, bottom-up approach of repurposing extant social media apps is low cost and efficient for timely implementation to improve patient care. WeChat's international user base enables medical staff to access widespread professional networks across geographic, administrative, and economic barriers, with potential to reduce health disparities in low-resource settings. ", doi="10.2196/26419", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2022/3/e26419", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35904858" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/33767, author="Allen, Gary and Garris, Jenna and Lawson, Luan and Reeder, Timothy and Crotty, Jennifer and Hannan, Johanna and Brewer, Kori", title="An Innovative Use of Twitter to Disseminate and Promote Medical Student Scholarship During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Usability Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2022", month="Jul", day="13", volume="8", number="3", pages="e33767", keywords="medical education", keywords="social media", keywords="web-based learning", keywords="innovation", keywords="Twitter", keywords="dissemination", keywords="scholarship", keywords="medical student", keywords="platform", keywords="academic promotion", keywords="COVID-19", abstract="Background: Due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the cancellation of in-person learning activities forced every aspect of medical education and student engagement to pivot to a web-based format, including activities supporting the performance and dissemination of scholarly work. At that time, social media had been used to augment in-person conference learning, but it had not been used as the sole platform for scholarly abstract presentations. Objective: Our aim was to assess the feasibility of using Twitter to provide a completely web-based forum for real-time dissemination of and engagement with student scholarly work as an alternative to a traditional in-person poster presentation session. Methods: The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University launched an online Medical Student Scholarship Forum, using Twitter as a platform for students to present scholarly work and prepare for future web-based presentations. A single student forum participant created posts using a standardized template that incorporated student research descriptions, uniform promotional hashtags, and individual poster presentations. Tweets were released over 5 days and analytic data were collected from the Twitter platform. Outcome measures included impressions, engagements, retweets, likes, media engagements, and average daily engagement rate. Results: During the conference, the student leader published 63 tweets promoting the work of 58 students (55 medical and 3 dental students) over 5 days. During the forum and the following week, tweets from the @BrodyDistinctly Twitter account received 63,142 impressions and 7487 engagements, including 187 retweets, 1427 likes, and 2082 media engagements. During the 5 days of the forum, the average daily engagement rate was 12.72\%. Conclusions: Using Twitter as a means of scholarly dissemination resulted in a larger viewing community compared to a traditional in-person event. Early evidence suggests that social media platforms may be an alternative to traditional scholarly presentations. Presenting via Twitter allowed students to receive instantaneous feedback and effectively network with wider academic communities. Additional research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of knowledge uptake, feedback, and networking. ", doi="10.2196/33767", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2022/3/e33767", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35759753" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/33934, author="Sukhera, Javeed and Ahmed, Hasan", title="Leveraging Machine Learning to Understand How Emotions Influence Equity Related Education: Quasi-Experimental Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2022", month="Mar", day="30", volume="8", number="1", pages="e33934", keywords="bias", keywords="equity", keywords="sentiment analysis", keywords="medical education", keywords="emotion", keywords="education", abstract="Background: Teaching and learning about topics such as bias are challenging due to the emotional nature of bias-related discourse. However, emotions can be challenging to study in health professions education for numerous reasons. With the emergence of machine learning and natural language processing, sentiment analysis (SA) has the potential to bridge the gap. Objective: To improve our understanding of the role of emotions in bias-related discourse, we developed and conducted a SA of bias-related discourse among health professionals. Methods: We conducted a 2-stage quasi-experimental study. First, we developed a SA (algorithm) within an existing archive of interviews with health professionals about bias. SA refers to a mechanism of analysis that evaluates the sentiment of textual data by assigning scores to textual components and calculating and assigning a sentiment value to the text. Next, we applied our SA algorithm to an archive of social media discourse on Twitter that contained equity-related hashtags to compare sentiment among health professionals and the general population. Results: When tested on the initial archive, our SA algorithm was highly accurate compared to human scoring of sentiment. An analysis of bias-related social media discourse demonstrated that health professional tweets (n=555) were less neutral than the general population (n=6680) when discussing social issues on professionally associated accounts ($\chi$2 [2, n=555)]=35.455; P<.001), suggesting that health professionals attach more sentiment to their posts on Twitter than seen in the general population. Conclusions: The finding that health professionals are more likely to show and convey emotions regarding equity-related issues on social media has implications for teaching and learning about sensitive topics related to health professions education. Such emotions must therefore be considered in the design, delivery, and evaluation of equity and bias-related education. ", doi="10.2196/33934", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2022/1/e33934", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35353048" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/25230, author="Forgie, E. Ella M. and Lai, Hollis and Cao, Bo and Stroulia, Eleni and Greenshaw, J. Andrew and Goez, Helly", title="Social Media and the Transformation of the Physician-Patient Relationship: Viewpoint", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2021", month="Dec", day="24", volume="23", number="12", pages="e25230", keywords="social media", keywords="social determinants of health", keywords="precision medicine", keywords="patient care", doi="10.2196/25230", url="https://www.jmir.org/2021/12/e25230", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34951596" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/25654, author="Xie, X. Deborah and Boss, F. Emily and Stewart, Matthew C.", title="Audience of Academic Otolaryngology on Twitter: Cross-sectional Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2021", month="Dec", day="8", volume="7", number="4", pages="e25654", keywords="Twitter", keywords="otolaryngology", keywords="residency", keywords="medical education", keywords="social media", keywords="internet", abstract="Background: Despite the ubiquity of social media, the utilization and audience reach of this communication method by otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) residency programs has not been investigated. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the content posted to a popular social media platform (Twitter) by OHNS residency programs. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we identified Twitter accounts for accredited academic OHNS residency programs. Tweets published over a 6-month period (March to August 2019) were extracted. Tweets were categorized and analyzed for source (original versus retweet) and target audience (medical versus layman). A random sample of 100 tweets was used to identify patterns of content, which were then used to categorize additional tweets. We quantified the total number of likes or retweets by health care professionals. Results: Of the 121 accredited programs, 35 (28.9\%) had Twitter accounts. Of the 2526 tweets in the 6-month period, 1695 (67.10\%) were original-content tweets. The majority of tweets (1283/1695, 75.69\%) were targeted toward health care workers, most of which did not directly contain medical information (954/1283, 74.36\%). These tweets contained information about the department's trainees and education (349/954, 36.6\%), participation at conferences (263/954, 27.6\%), and research publications (112/954, 11.7\%). Two-thirds of all tweets did not contain medical information. Medical professionals accounted for 1249/1362 (91.70\%) of retweets and 5616/6372 (88.14\%) of likes on original-content tweets. Conclusions: The majority of Twitter usage by OHNS residency programs is for intra and interprofessional communication, and only a minority of tweets contain information geared toward the public. Communication and information sharing with patients is not the focus of OHNS departments on Twitter. ", doi="10.2196/25654", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2021/4/e25654", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34889748" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/25770, author="Vuku{\vs}i{\'c} Rukavina, Tea and Viski{\'c}, Jo{\vs}ko and Machala Popla{\vs}en, Lovela and Reli{\'c}, Danko and Mareli{\'c}, Marko and Jokic, Drazen and Sedak, Kristijan", title="Dangers and Benefits of Social Media on E-Professionalism of Health Care Professionals: Scoping Review", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2021", month="Nov", day="17", volume="23", number="11", pages="e25770", keywords="e-professionalism", keywords="social media", keywords="internet", keywords="health care professionals", keywords="physicians", keywords="nurses", keywords="students", keywords="medicine", keywords="dental medicine", keywords="nursing", abstract="Background: As we are witnessing the evolution of social media (SM) use worldwide among the general population, the popularity of SM has also been embraced by health care professionals (HCPs). In the context of SM evolution and exponential growth of users, this scoping review summarizes recent findings of the e-professionalism of HCPs. Objective: The purpose of this scoping review is to characterize the recent original peer-reviewed research studies published between November 1, 2014, to December 31, 2020, on e-professionalism of HCPs; to assess the quality of the methodologies and approaches used; to explore the impact of SM on e-professionalism of HCPs; to recognize the benefits and dangers of SM; and to provide insights to guide future research in this area. Methods: A search of the literature published from November 1, 2014, to December 31, 2020, was performed in January 2021 using 3 databases (PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus). The searches were conducted using the following defined search terms: ``professionalism'' AND ``social media'' OR ``social networks'' OR ``Internet'' OR ``Facebook'' OR ``Twitter'' OR ``Instagram'' OR ``TikTok.'' The search strategy was limited to studies published in English. This scoping review follows the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. Results: Of the 1632 retrieved papers, a total of 88 studies were finally included in this review. Overall, the quality of the studies was satisfactory. Participants in the reviewed studies were from diverse health care professions. Medical health professionals were involved in about three-quarters of the studies. Three key benefits of SM on e-professionalism of HCPs were identified: (1) professional networking and collaboration, (2) professional education and training, and (3) patient education and health promotion. For the selected studies, there were five recognized dangers of SM on e-professionalism of HCPs: (1) loosening accountability, (2) compromising confidentiality, (3) blurred professional boundaries, (4) depiction of unprofessional behavior, and (5) legal issues and disciplinary consequences. This scoping review also recognizes recommendations for changes in educational curricula regarding e-professionalism as opportunities for improvement and barriers that influence HCPs use of SM in the context of e-professionalism. Conclusions: Findings in the reviewed studies indicate the existence of both benefits and dangers of SM on e-professionalism of HCPs. Even though there are some barriers recognized, this review has highlighted existing recommendations for including e-professionalism in the educational curricula of HCPs. Based on all evidence provided, this review provided new insights and guides for future research on this area. There is a clear need for robust research to investigate new emerging SM platforms, the efficiency of guidelines and educational interventions, and the specifics of each profession regarding their SM potential and use. ", doi="10.2196/25770", url="https://www.jmir.org/2021/11/e25770", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34662284" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/30607, author="Koenig, Leni Julia Felicitas and Buentzel, Judith and Jung, Wolfram and Truemper, Lorenz and Wurm-Kuczera, Isabel Rebecca", title="Using Instagram to Enhance a Hematology and Oncology Teaching Module During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2021", month="Nov", day="15", volume="7", number="4", pages="e30607", keywords="COVID-19", keywords="medical education", keywords="distance learning", keywords="undergraduate medical education", keywords="digital medical education", keywords="Instagram", keywords="hematology and medical oncology", abstract="Background: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the rapid expansion of novel tools for digital medical education. At our university medical center, an Instagram account was developed as a tool for medical education and used for the first time as a supplement to the hematology and medical oncology teaching module of 2020/2021. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the acceptance and role of Instagram as a novel teaching format in the education of medical students in hematology and medical oncology in the German medical curriculum. Methods: To investigate the role of Instagram in student education of hematology and medical oncology, an Instagram account was developed as a tie-in for the teaching module of 2020/21. The account was launched at the beginning of the teaching module, and 43 posts were added over the 47 days of the teaching module (at least 1 post per day). Five categories for the post content were established: (1) engagement, (2) self-awareness, (3) everyday clinical life combined with teaching aids, (4) teaching aids, and (5) scientific resources. Student interaction with the posts was measured based on overall subscription, ``likes,'' comments, and polls. Approval to conduct this retrospective study was obtained from the local ethics commission of the University Medical Center Goettingen. Results: Of 164 medical students, 119 (72.6\%) subscribed to the Instagram account, showing high acceptance and interest in the use of Instagram for medical education. The 43 posts generated 325 interactions. The highest number of interactions was observed for the category of engagement (mean 15.17 interactions, SD 5.01), followed by self-awareness (mean 14 interactions, SD 7.79). With an average of 7.3 likes per post, overall interaction was relatively low. However, although the category of scientific resources garnered the fewest likes (mean 1.86, SD 1.81), 66\% (27/41) of the student participants who answered the related Instagram poll question were interested in studies and reviews, suggesting that although likes aid the estimation of a general trend of interest, there are facets to interest that cannot be represented by likes. Interaction significantly differed between posting categories (P<.001, Welch analysis of variance). Comparing the first category (engagement) with categories 3 to 5 showed a significant difference (Student t test with the Welch correction; category 1 vs 3, P=.01; category 1 vs 4, P=.01; category 1 vs 5, P=.001). Conclusions: Instagram showed high acceptance among medical students participating in the hematology and oncology teaching curriculum. Students were most interested in posts on routine clinical life, self-care topics, and memory aids. More studies need to be conducted to comprehend the use of Instagram in medical education and to define the role Instagram will play in the future. Furthermore, evaluation guidelines and tools need to be developed. ", doi="10.2196/30607", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2021/4/e30607", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34779777" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/24448, author="Panda, Ananya and Sharma, Akash and Dundar, Ayca and Packard, Ann and Aase, Lee and Kotsenas, Amy and Kendi, Tuba Ayse", title="Twitter Use by Academic Nuclear Medicine Programs: Pilot Content Analysis Study", journal="JMIR Form Res", year="2021", month="Nov", day="8", volume="5", number="11", pages="e24448", keywords="social media", keywords="Twitter", keywords="radiology", keywords="nuclear medicine", keywords="nuclear radiology", keywords="social network", keywords="medical education", keywords="networking", abstract="Background: There is scant insight into the presence of nuclear medicine (NM) and nuclear radiology (NR) programs on social media. Objective: Our purpose was to assess Twitter engagement by academic NM/NR programs in the United States. Methods: We measured Twitter engagement by the academic NM/NR community, accounting for various NM/NR certification pathways. The Twitter presence of NM/NR programs at both the department and program director level was identified. Tweets by programs were cross-referenced against potential high-yield NM- or NR-related hashtags, and tabulated at a binary level. A brief survey was done to identify obstacles and benefits to Twitter use by academic NM/NR faculty. Results: For 2019-2020, 88 unique programs in the United States offered NM/NR certification pathways. Of these, 52\% (46/88) had Twitter accounts and 24\% (21/88) had at least one post related to NM/NR. Only three radiology departments had unique Twitter accounts for the NM/molecular imaging division. Of the other 103 diagnostic radiology residency programs, only 16\% (16/103) had a presence on Twitter and 5\% (5/103) had tweets about NM/NR. Only 9\% (8/88) of NM/NR program directors were on Twitter, and three program directors tweeted about NM/NR. The survey revealed a lack of clarity and resources around using Twitter, although respondents acknowledged the perceived value of Twitter engagement for attracting younger trainees. Conclusions: Currently, there is minimal Twitter engagement by the academic NM/NR community. The perceived value of Twitter engagement is counterbalanced by identifiable obstacles. Given radiologists' overall positive views of social media's usefulness, scant social media engagement by the NM community may represent a missed opportunity. More Twitter engagement and further research by trainees and colleagues should be encouraged, as well as the streamlined use of unique hashtags. ", doi="10.2196/24448", url="https://formative.jmir.org/2021/11/e24448", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34747708" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/29486, author="Naaseh, Ariana and Thompson, Sean and Tohmasi, Steven and Wiechmann, Warren and Toohey, Shannon and Wray, Alisa and Boysen-Osborn, Megan", title="Evaluating Applicant Perceptions of the Impact of Social Media on the 2020-2021 Residency Application Cycle Occurring During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Survey Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2021", month="Oct", day="5", volume="7", number="4", pages="e29486", keywords="residency application", keywords="social media", keywords="medical education", keywords="resident", keywords="medical student", keywords="perspective", keywords="residency recruitment", keywords="virtual application", keywords="virtual residency", abstract="Background: Due to challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, residency programs in the United States conducted virtual interviews during the 2020-2021 application season. As a result, programs and applicants may have relied more heavily on social media--based communication and dissemination of information. Objective: We sought to determine social media's impact on residency applicants during an entirely virtual application cycle. Methods: An anonymous electronic survey was distributed to 465 eligible 2021 Match applicants at 4 University of California Schools of Medicine in the United States. Results: A total of 72 participants (15.5\% of eligible respondents), applying to 16 specialties, responded. Of those who responded, 53\% (n=38) reported following prospective residency accounts on social media, and 89\% (n=34) of those respondents were positively or negatively influenced by these accounts. The top three digital methods by which applicants sought information about residency programs included the program website, digital conversations with residents and fellows of that program, and Instagram. Among respondents, 53\% (n=38) attended virtual information sessions for prospective programs. A minority of applicants (n=19, 26\%) adjusted the number of programs they applied to based on information found on social media, with most (n=14, 74\%) increasing the number of programs to which they applied. Survey respondents ranked social media's effectiveness in allowing applicants to learn about programs at 6.7 (SD 2.1) on a visual analogue scale from 1-10. Most applicants (n=61, 86\%) felt that programs should use social media in future application cycles even if they are nonvirtual. Conclusions: Social media appears to be an important tool for resident recruitment. Future studies should seek more information on its effect on later parts of the application cycle and the Match. ", doi="10.2196/29486", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2021/4/e29486", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34591779" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/28495, author="Raphaely, Shiri and Goldberg, B. Simon and Moreno, Megan and Stowe, Zachary", title="Rates of Assessment of Social Media Use in Psychiatric Interviews Prior to and During COVID-19: Needs Assessment Survey", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2021", month="Sep", day="14", volume="7", number="3", pages="e28495", keywords="social media", keywords="screentime", keywords="problematic Internet use", keywords="psychiatric interview", keywords="psychiatric training", keywords="COVID-19", keywords="residency", keywords="training", keywords="survey", keywords="psychiatry", keywords="evaluation", keywords="quarantine", abstract="Background: Current research suggests that there is a nuanced relationship between mental well-being and social media. Social media offers opportunities for empowerment, information, and connection while also showing links with depression, high-risk behavior, and harassment. As this medium rapidly integrates into interpersonal interactions, incorporation of social media assessment into the psychiatric evaluation warrants attention. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic and containment measures (ie, social distancing) led to increased dependence on social media, allowing an opportunity to assess the adaptation of psychiatric interviews in response to sociocultural changes. Objective: The first aim of this study was to evaluate if general psychiatry residents and child and adolescent psychiatry fellows assessed social media use as part of the clinical interview. Second, the study examined whether changes were made to the social media assessment in response to known increase of social media use secondary to social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: As part of a quality improvement project, the authors surveyed general psychiatry residents and child psychiatry fellows in a university-based training program (n=21) about their assessment of social media use in patient evaluations. Soon after the survey closed, ``stay-at-home'' orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic began. A subsequent survey was sent out with the same questions to evaluate if residents and fellows altered their interview practices in response to the dramatic sociocultural changes (n=20). Results: Pre-COVID-19 pandemic survey results found that 10\% (2/21) of respondents incorporated social media questions in patient evaluations. In a follow-up survey after the onset of the pandemic, 20\% (4/20) of respondents included any assessment of social media use. Among the 15 participants who completed both surveys, there was a nonsignificant increase in the likelihood of asking about social media use (2/15, 13\% vs 4/15, 27\%, for pre- and during COVID-19, respectively; McNemar $\chi$21=0.25, P=.617, Cohen d=0.33). Conclusions: These small survey results raise important questions relevant to the training of residents and fellows in psychiatry. The findings suggest that the assessment of social media use is a neglected component of the psychiatric interview by trainees. The burgeoning use and diversity of social media engagement warrant scrutiny with respect to how this is addressed in interview training. Additionally, given minimal adaptation of the interview in the midst of a pandemic, these findings imply an opportunity for improving psychiatric training that incorporates adapting clinical interviews to sociocultural change. ", doi="10.2196/28495", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2021/3/e28495", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34375297" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/32105, author="Wei, Chapman and Bernstein, Sophie and Adusumilli, Nagasai and Marchitto, Mark and Chen, Frank and Rajpara, Anand", title="Assessment and Evaluation of Social Engagement in Dermatology Residency Programs on Instagram: Cross-sectional Study", journal="JMIR Dermatol", year="2021", month="Aug", day="26", volume="4", number="2", pages="e32105", keywords="Instagram", keywords="social media", keywords="dermatology residency", keywords="Instagram engagement score", keywords="residency recruitment", keywords="medical education", doi="10.2196/32105", url="https://derma.jmir.org/2021/2/e32105", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37632856" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/29372, author="Li, Li and Liu, Xiaobin and Chen, Zeyuan and Wang, Liyuan and Lian, Xiaoli and Zou, Huiru", title="The Application of a Case-Based Social Media--Assisted Teaching Method in Cariology Education?Comparative Study", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2021", month="Aug", day="13", volume="23", number="8", pages="e29372", keywords="social media", keywords="case-based learning", keywords="cariology", keywords="dental cavity preparation", keywords="college students", abstract="Background: Current cariology education based on the traditional teaching method faces a lot of challenges. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented disruption in medical education and health care systems worldwide. Innovation in the teaching mode of cariology education is required to change the situation. Objective: The goal of the research was to evaluate the application effects of a case-based social media--assisted teaching method in cariology education. Methods: Dental students of class 2019 were enrolled into the experimental group, while students of class 2018 served as control. A case-based social media--assisted teaching method was used in the experimental group, which included preclass activity via social media, additional discussion and practice process record in class, and questions and answers on the platform after class. The traditional teaching method, which consisted of conventional preparation before class, traditional lectures and demonstrations followed by students practice in class, and questions and answers step after class, was used in the control group. The teaching materials were the same in both groups. At the end of the program, students from both groups took cavity preparation skill evaluation tests. Questionnaires were tested on the case-based social media--assisted teaching group students anonymously. All data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software (version 22.0, IBM Corp). Results: The mean student cavity preparation skill evaluation scores was 82.51 (SD 6.82) in the experimental group and 77.19 (SD 5.98) in the control group (P<.05). The questionnaire response rate was 100\%. Of those, 94.3\% (100/106) of the students recommended the case-based social media--assisted teaching method in cariology education. The majority of the participants agreed that it helped them memorize the theoretical knowledge of cariology, facilitated in-depth discussion, improved their enthusiasm and initiative in learning, and enhanced the relationship between teachers and students (104/106, 98.1\%). They also recognized that the classroom atmosphere was active (94/106, 88.7\%). Conclusions: The case-based social media--assisted teaching method was beneficial in terms of learning, as demonstrated by the statistically significant improvement of the cavity preparation skill evaluation scores and satisfaction from attending students. This method could be used to supplement the teaching of cariology. ", doi="10.2196/29372", url="https://www.jmir.org/2021/8/e29372", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34397390" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/27664, author="Gambril, Alan John and Boyd, J. Carter and Egbaria, Jamal", title="The Numerous Benefits of Social Media for Medicine. Comment on ``Documenting Social Media Engagement as Scholarship: A New Model for Assessing Academic Accomplishment for the Health Professions''", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2021", month="Jun", day="9", volume="23", number="6", pages="e27664", keywords="social media", keywords="medical education", keywords="internet", keywords="academic medicine", keywords="promotion", keywords="tenure", keywords="health professions", keywords="scholarship", keywords="medicine", keywords="research", keywords="accomplishment", keywords="crowd source", keywords="contribution", keywords="innovation", keywords="education", keywords="dissemination", doi="10.2196/27664", url="https://www.jmir.org/2021/6/e27664", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34106082" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/28805, author="De Gagne, C. Jennie and Cho, Eunji and Yamane, S. Sandra and Jin, Haesu and Nam, D. Jeehae and Jung, Dukyoo", title="Analysis of Cyberincivility in Posts by Health Professions Students: Descriptive Twitter Data Mining Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2021", month="May", day="13", volume="7", number="2", pages="e28805", keywords="cyberincivility", keywords="digital professionalism", keywords="health professions students", keywords="social media", keywords="social networking sites", keywords="Twitter", abstract="Background: Health professions students use social media to communicate with other students and health professionals, discuss career plans or coursework, and share the results of research projects or new information. These platforms allow students to share thoughts and perceptions that are not disclosed in formal education settings. Twitter provides an excellent window through which health professions educators can observe students' sociocultural and learning needs. However, despite its merits, cyberincivility on Twitter among health professions students has been reported. Cyber means using electronic technologies, and incivility is a general term for bad manners. As such, cyberincivility refers to any act of disrespectful, insensitive, or disruptive behavior in an electronic environment. Objective: This study aims to describe the characteristics and instances of cyberincivility posted on Twitter by self-identified health professions students. A further objective of the study is to analyze the prevalence of tweets perceived as inappropriate or potentially objectionable while describing patterns and differences in the instances of cyberincivility posted by those users. Methods: We used a cross-sectional descriptive Twitter data mining method to collect quantitative and qualitative data from August 2019 to February 2020. The sample was taken from users who self-identified as health professions students (eg, medicine, nursing, dental, pharmacy, physician assistant, and physical therapy) in their user description. Data management and analysis were performed with a combination of SAS 9.4 for descriptive and inferential statistics, including logistic regression, and NVivo 12 for descriptive patterns of textual data. Results: We analyzed 20 of the most recent tweets for each account (N=12,820). A total of 639 user accounts were analyzed for quantitative analysis, including 280 (43.8\%) medicine students and 329 (51.5\%) nursing students in 22 countries: the United States (287/639, 44.9\%), the United Kingdom (197/639, 30.8\%), unknown countries (104/639, 16.3\%), and 19 other countries (51/639, 8.0\%). Of the 639 accounts, 193 (30.2\%) were coded as having instances of cyberincivility. Of these, 61.7\% (119/193), 32.6\% (63/193), and 5.7\% (11/193) belonged to students in nursing, medicine, and other disciplines, respectively. Among 502 instances of cyberincivility identified from 641 qualitative analysis samples, the largest categories were profanity and product promotion. Several aggressive or biased comments toward other users, politicians, or certain groups of people were also found. Conclusions: Cyberincivility is a multifaceted phenomenon that must be considered in its complexity if health professions students are to embrace a culture of mutual respect and collaboration. Students' perceptions and reports of their Twitter experiences offer insights into behavior on the web and the evolving role of cyberspace, and potentially problematic posts provide opportunities for teaching digital professionalism. Our study indicates that there is a continued need to provide students with guidance and training regarding the importance of maintaining a professional persona on the web. ", doi="10.2196/28805", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2021/2/e28805", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33983129" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/25892, author="Katz, Marc and Nandi, Neilanjan", title="Social Media and Medical Education in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2021", month="Apr", day="12", volume="7", number="2", pages="e25892", keywords="social media", keywords="medical education", keywords="COVID-19", keywords="medical student", keywords="review", keywords="doctor", keywords="communication", keywords="online learning", keywords="e-learning", keywords="online education", keywords="delivery", keywords="dissemination", abstract="Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought virtual web-based learning to the forefront of medical education as training programs adapt to physical distancing challenges while maintaining the rigorous standards of medical training. Social media has unique and partially untapped potential to supplement formal medical education. Objective: The aim of this review is to provide a summary of the incentives, applications, challenges, and pitfalls of social media--based medical education for both trainees and educators. Methods: We performed a literature review via PubMed of medical research involving social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and podcasts. Papers were reviewed for inclusion based on the integrity and power of the study. Results: The unique characteristics of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and podcasts endow them with unique communication capabilities that serve different educational purposes in both formal and informal education settings. However, contemporary medical education curricula lack widespread guidance on meaningful use, application, and deployment of social media in medical education. Conclusions: Clinicians and institutions must evolve to embrace the use of social media platforms for medical education. Health care professionals can approach social media engagement in the same ethical manner that they would with patients in person; however, health care institutions ultimately must enable their health care professionals to achieve this by enacting realistic social media policies. Institutions should appoint clinicians with strong social media experience to leadership roles to spearhead these generational and cultural changes. Further studies are needed to better understand how health care professionals can most effectively use social media platforms as educational tools. Ultimately, social media is here to stay, influencing lay public knowledge and trainee knowledge. Clinicians and institutions must embrace this complementary modality of trainee education and champion social media as a novel distribution platform that can also help propagate truth in a time of misinformation, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. ", doi="10.2196/25892", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2021/2/e25892", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33755578" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/17598, author="Liu, Lisa and Woo, P. Benjamin K.", title="Twitter as a Mental Health Support System for Students and Professionals in the Medical Field", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2021", month="Jan", day="19", volume="7", number="1", pages="e17598", keywords="Twitter", keywords="social media", keywords="mental health", keywords="health professionals", keywords="community", keywords="social support", keywords="depression", keywords="physician suicide", doi="10.2196/17598", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2021/1/e17598/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33464210" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/25070, author="Acquaviva, D. Kimberly and Mugele, Josh and Abadilla, Natasha and Adamson, Tyler and Bernstein, L. Samantha and Bhayani, K. Rakhee and B{\"u}chi, Elisabeth Annina and Burbage, Darcy and Carroll, L. Christopher and Davis, P. Samantha and Dhawan, Natasha and Eaton, Alice and English, Kim and Grier, T. Jennifer and Gurney, K. Mary and Hahn, S. Emily and Haq, Heather and Huang, Brendan and Jain, Shikha and Jun, Jin and Kerr, T. Wesley and Keyes, Timothy and Kirby, R. Amelia and Leary, Marion and Marr, Mollie and Major, Ajay and Meisel, V. Jason and Petersen, A. Erika and Raguan, Barak and Rhodes, Allison and Rupert, D. Deborah and Sam-Agudu, A. Nadia and Saul, Naledi and Shah, R. Jarna and Sheldon, Kennedy Lisa and Sinclair, T. Christian and Spencer, Kerry and Strand, H. Natalie and Streed Jr, G. Carl and Trudell, M. Avery", title="Documenting Social Media Engagement as Scholarship: A New Model for Assessing Academic Accomplishment for the Health Professions", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2020", month="Dec", day="2", volume="22", number="12", pages="e25070", keywords="social media", keywords="promotion", keywords="tenure", keywords="health professions", keywords="scholarship", keywords="medicine", keywords="research", keywords="accomplishment", keywords="crowdsource", keywords="contribution", keywords="innovation", keywords="education", keywords="dissemination", abstract="Background: The traditional model of promotion and tenure in the health professions relies heavily on formal scholarship through teaching, research, and service. Institutions consider how much weight to give activities in each of these areas and determine a threshold for advancement. With the emergence of social media, scholars can engage wider audiences in creative ways and have a broader impact. Conventional metrics like the h-index do not account for social media impact. Social media engagement is poorly represented in most curricula vitae (CV) and therefore is undervalued in promotion and tenure reviews. Objective: The objective was to develop crowdsourced guidelines for documenting social media scholarship. These guidelines aimed to provide a structure for documenting a scholar's general impact on social media, as well as methods of documenting individual social media contributions exemplifying innovation, education, mentorship, advocacy, and dissemination. Methods: To create unifying guidelines, we created a crowdsourced process that capitalized on the strengths of social media and generated a case example of successful use of the medium for academic collaboration. The primary author created a draft of the guidelines and then sought input from users on Twitter via a publicly accessible Google Document. There was no limitation on who could provide input and the work was done in a democratic, collaborative fashion. Contributors edited the draft over a period of 1 week (September 12-18, 2020). The primary and secondary authors then revised the draft to make it more concise. The guidelines and manuscript were then distributed to the contributors for edits and adopted by the group. All contributors were given the opportunity to serve as coauthors on the publication and were told upfront that authorship would depend on whether they were able to document the ways in which they met the 4 International Committee of Medical Journal Editors authorship criteria. Results: We developed 2 sets of guidelines: Guidelines for Listing All Social Media Scholarship Under Public Scholarship (in Research/Scholarship Section of CV) and Guidelines for Listing Social Media Scholarship Under Research, Teaching, and Service Sections of CV. Institutions can choose which set fits their existing CV format. Conclusions: With more uniformity, scholars can better represent the full scope and impact of their work. These guidelines are not intended to dictate how individual institutions should weigh social media contributions within promotion and tenure cases. Instead, by providing an initial set of guidelines, we hope to provide scholars and their institutions with a common format and language to document social media scholarship. ", doi="10.2196/25070", url="https://www.jmir.org/2020/12/e25070", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33263554" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/14081, author="O'Sullivan, Jane and McCarrick, Cathleen and Tierney, Paul and O'Connor, B. Donal and Collins, Jack and Franklin, Robert", title="Identification of Informed Consent in Patient Videos on Social Media: Prospective Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2020", month="Oct", day="13", volume="6", number="2", pages="e14081", keywords="social media", keywords="patient consent", keywords="patient footage", keywords="ethics", keywords="YouTube", keywords="patient video", keywords="medical education", abstract="Background: The American Medical Association Code of Medical Ethics states that any clinical image taken for public education forms part of the patient's records. Hence, a patient's informed consent is required to collect, share, and distribute their image. Patients must be informed of the intended use of the clinical image and the intended audience as part of the informed consent. Objective: This paper aimed to determine whether a random selection of instructional videos containing footage of central venous catheter insertion on real patients on YouTube (Google LLC) would mention the presence of informed consent to post the video on social media. Methods: We performed a prospective evaluation by 2 separate researchers of the first 125 videos on YouTube with the search term ``central line insertion.'' After duplicates were deleted and exclusion criteria applied, 41 videos of patients undergoing central line insertion were searched for reference to patient consent. In the case of videos of indeterminate consent status, the posters were contacted privately through YouTube to clarify the status of consent to both film and disseminate the video on social media. A period of 2 months was provided to respond to initial contact. Furthermore, YouTube was contacted to clarify company policy. The primary outcome was to determine if videos on YouTube were amended to include details of consent at 2 months postcontact. The secondary outcome was a response to the initial email at 2 months. Results: The researchers compiled 143 videos. Of 41 videos that contained footage of patient procedures, 41 were of indeterminate consent status and 23 contained identifiable patient footage. From the 41 posters that were contacted, 3 responded to initial contact and none amended the video to document consent status. Response from YouTube is pending. Conclusions: There are instructional videos for clinicians on social media that contain footage of patients undergoing medical procedures and do not have any verification of informed consent. While this study investigated a small sample of available videos, the problem appears ubiquitous and should be studied more extensively. ", doi="10.2196/14081", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2020/2/e14081/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33048058" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/21701, author="Naidoo, Nerissa and Akhras, Aya and Banerjee, Yajnavalka", title="Confronting the Challenges of Anatomy Education in a Competency-Based Medical Curriculum During Normal and Unprecedented Times (COVID-19 Pandemic): Pedagogical Framework Development and Implementation", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2020", month="Oct", day="7", volume="6", number="2", pages="e21701", keywords="undergraduate medical education", keywords="anatomy education", keywords="Gagne's 9 events of instruction", keywords="Peyton's 4-step approach", keywords="Mento's 12-step change management model", keywords="Bourdieu's Theory of Practice", keywords="social media application", keywords="interactome", keywords="COVID-19", keywords="framework", abstract="Background: Anatomy is considered to be one of the keystones of undergraduate medical education. However, recently, there has been drastic reduction, both in gross anatomy teaching hours and its context. Additionally, a decrease in the number of trained anatomists and an increase in the costs associated with procuring human cadavers have been noted, causing a diminution of cadaveric dissections in anatomy education. Objective: To address these challenges, there is an ardent need for a pedagogical framework such that anatomy education can be disseminated through active learning principles, within a fixed time frame, using a small team of anatomists and a small number of cadaveric specimens (for live on-site sessions) as well as collaborative learning principles. The latter is particularly important when anatomy education is delivered through distance learning, as is the case currently during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Here, we have blueprinted a pedagogical framework blending the instructional design models of Gagne's 9 events of instruction with Peyton's 4-step approach. The framework's applicability was validated through the delivery of anatomical concepts, using an exemplar from the structure-function course Head and Neck during the normal and COVID-19--mandated lockdown periods, employing the archetype of Frey syndrome. Preliminary evaluation of the framework was pursued using student feedback and end-of-course feedback responses. The efficiency of the framework in knowledge transfer was also appraised. Results: The blueprinted instructional plan designed to implement the pedagogical framework was successfully executed in the dissemination of anatomy education, employing a limited number of cadaveric specimens (during normal times) and a social media application (SMA)--integrated ``interactome'' strategy (during the COVID-19 lockdown). Students' response to the framework was positive. However, reluctance was expressed by a majority of the faculty in adopting the framework for anatomy education. To address this aspect, a strategy has been designed using Mento's 12-step change management model. The long-term benefits for any medical school to adopt the blended pedagogical framework have also been explicated by applying Bourdieu's Theory of Practice. Additionally, through the design of an SMA interactome model, the framework's applicability to the delivery of anatomy education and content during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was realized. Conclusions: In conclusion, the study effectively tackles some of the contemporary key challenges associated with the delivery of anatomy content in medical education during normal and unprecedented times. ", doi="10.2196/21701", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2020/2/e21701/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32873536" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/16772, author="Chan, SY Windy and Leung, YM Angela", title="Facebook as a Novel Tool for Continuous Professional Education on Dementia: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2020", month="Jun", day="2", volume="22", number="6", pages="e16772", keywords="dementia", keywords="Facebook", keywords="social network sites", keywords="continuous professional education", abstract="Background: Social network sites (SNSs) are widely exploited in health education and communication by the general public, including patients with various conditions. Nevertheless, there is an absence of evidence evaluating SNSs in connecting health professionals for professional purposes. Objective: This pilot randomized controlled trial was designed to evaluate the feasibility of an intervention aiming to investigate the effects of a continuous professional education program utilizing Facebook to obtain knowledge on dementia and care for patients with dementia. Methods: Eighty health professionals from Hong Kong were recruited for participation in the study and randomized at a 1:1 ratio by a block randomization method to the intervention group (n=40) and control group (n=40). The intervention was an 8-week educational program developed to deliver updated knowledge on dementia care from a multidisciplinary perspective, either by Facebook (intervention group) or by email (control group) from October 2018 to January 2019. The primary outcomes were the effects of the intervention, measured by differences in the means of changes in pre- and postintervention scores of knowledge assessments from the 25-item Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS) and formative evaluation of 20 multiple choice questions. Other outcome measurements included participant compliance, participant engagement in Facebook, satisfaction, and self-perceived uses of Facebook for continuing professional education programs. Results: Significantly more intervention group participants (n=35) completed the study than the control group (n=25) (P<.001). The overall retention rate was 75\% (60/80). The mean of changes in scores in the intervention group were significant in all assessments (P<.001). A significant difference in the mean of changes in scores between the two groups was identified in the DKAS subscale Communication and Behavior (95\% CI 0.4-3.3, P=.02). There was no significant difference in the total DKAS scores, scores of other DKAS subscales, and multiple choice questions. Participant compliance was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P<.001). The mean numbers of participants accessing the learning materials were 31.5 (SD 3.9) and 17.6 (SD 5.2) in the intervention and control group, respectively. Polls attracted the highest level of participant engagement, followed by videos. Intervention group participants scored significantly higher in favoring the use of Facebook for the continuing education program (P=.03). Overall, participants were satisfied with the interventions (mean score 4 of a total of 5, SD 0.6). Conclusions: The significantly higher retention rate, together with the high levels of participant compliance and engagement, demonstrate that Facebook is a promising tool for professional education. Education delivered through Facebook was significantly more effective at improving participants' knowledge of how people with dementia communicate and behave. Participants demonstrated positive attitudes toward utilizing Facebook for professional learning. These findings provide evidence for the feasibility of using Facebook as an intervention delivery tool in a manner that can be rolled out into practical settings. ", doi="10.2196/16772", url="https://www.jmir.org/2020/6/e16772", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32484441" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/16392, author="Ogunleye, Christianah and Farnan, M. Jeanne and Martin, K. Shannon and Tanksley, Audrey and Ngooi, Samantha and Venable, Ruth Laura and Anderson, Samantha and Marte, Jhonatan and Meltzer, O. David and Arora, M. Vineet", title="A Peer-Led Social Media Intervention to Improve Interest in Research Careers Among Urban Youth: Mixed Methods Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2020", month="May", day="14", volume="6", number="1", pages="e16392", keywords="pipeline programs", keywords="minorities", keywords="underrepresented minorities", keywords="adolescents", keywords="teens", keywords="social media", keywords="peer led\emspace", abstract="Background: Novel methods to boost interest in scientific research careers among minority youth are largely unexplored. Social media offers a unique avenue toward influencing teen behavior and attitudes, and can therefore be utilized to stimulate interest in clinical research. Objective: The aim of this study was to engage high-achieving minority youth enrolled in a science pipeline program to develop a targeted social media marketing campaign for boosting interest in clinical research careers among their peers. Methods: Students enrolled in the Training Early Achievers for Careers in Health program conducted focus groups in their communities to inform themes that best promote clinical research. They then scripted, storyboarded, and filmed a short video to share on social media with a campaign hashtag. Additionally, each student enrolled peers from their social circle to be subjects of the study. Subjects were sent a Career Orientation Survey at baseline to assess preliminary interest in clinical research careers and again after the campaign to assess how they saw the video, their perceptions of the video, and interest in clinical research careers after watching the video. Subjects who did not see the video through the online campaign were invited to watch the video via a link on the postsurvey. Interest change scores were calculated using differences in Likert-scale responses to the question ``how interested are you in a career in clinical research?'' An ordinal logistic regression model was used to test the association between watching a peer-shared video, perception of entertainment, and interest change score controlling for underrepresented minorities in medicine status (Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander), gender, and baseline interest in medical or clinical research careers. Results: From 2014 to 2017, 325 subjects were enrolled as part of 4 distinct campaigns: \#WhereScienceMeetsReality, \#RedefiningResearch, \#DoYourResearch, and \#LifeWithoutResearch. Over half (n=180) of the subjects watched the video via the campaign, 227/295 (76.9\%) found the video entertaining, and 92/325 (28.3\%) demonstrated baseline interest in clinical research. The ordinal logistic regression model showed that subjects who viewed the video from a peer (odds ratio [OR] 1.56, 95\% CI 1.00-2.44, P=.05) or found the video entertaining (OR 1.36, 95\% CI 1.01-1.82, P=.04) had greater odds of increasing interest in a clinical research career. Subjects with a higher baseline interest in medicine (OR 1.55, 95\% CI 1.28-1.87, P<.001) also had greater odds of increasing their interest in clinical research. Conclusions: The spread of authentic and relevant peer-created messages via social media can increase interest in clinical research careers among diverse teens. Peer-driven social media campaigns should be explored as a way to effectively recruit minority youth into scientific research careers. ", doi="10.2196/16392", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2020/1/e16392/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32406859" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/15297, author="Wilkinson, Aimee and Ashcroft, James", title="Opportunities and Obstacles for Providing Medical Education Through Social Media", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2019", month="Nov", day="27", volume="5", number="2", pages="e15297", keywords="medical education", keywords="social media", keywords="innovation", doi="10.2196/15297", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2019/2/e15297/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31774407" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/12901, author="Malecki, L. Sarah and Quinn, L. Kieran and Zilbert, Nathan and Razak, Fahad and Ginsburg, Shiphra and Verma, A. Amol and Melvin, Lindsay", title="Understanding the Use and Perceived Impact of a Medical Podcast: Qualitative Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2019", month="Sep", day="19", volume="5", number="2", pages="e12901", keywords="podcasts", keywords="grounded theory", keywords="medical education", abstract="Background: Although podcasts are increasingly being produced for medical education, their use and perceived impact in informal educational settings are understudied. Objective: This study aimed to explore how and why physicians and medical learners listen to The Rounds Table (TRT), a medical podcast, as well as to determine the podcast's perceived impact on learning and practice. Methods: Web-based podcast analytics were used to collect TRT usage statistics. A total of 17 medical TRT listeners were then identified and interviewed through purposive and convenience sampling, using a semistructured guide and a thematic analysis, until theoretical sufficiency was achieved. Results: The following four themes related to podcast listenership were identified: (1) participants thought that TRT increased efficiency, allowing them to multitask, predominantly using mobile listening platforms; (2) participants listened to the podcast for both education and entertainment, or ``edutainment''; (3) participants thought that the podcast helped them keep up to date with medical literature; and (4) participants considered TRT to have an indirect effect on learning and clinical practice by increasing overall knowledge. Conclusions: Our results highlight how a medical podcast, designed for continuing professional development, is often used informally to promote learning. These findings enhance our understanding of how and why listeners engage with a medical podcast, which may be used to inform the development and evaluation of other podcasts. ", doi="10.2196/12901", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2019/2/e12901/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31538949" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/11971, author="Abbas, Nadine and Ojha, Utkarsh", title="Not Just a Medical Student: Delivering Medical Education Through a Short Video Series on Social Media", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2019", month="May", day="06", volume="5", number="1", pages="e11971", keywords="social media", keywords="medical student", keywords="medical education", keywords="innovation", keywords="videos", keywords="Facebook", doi="10.2196/11971", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2019/1/e11971/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31066690" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/12403, author="Banerjee, Yajnavalka and Tambi, Richa and Gholami, Mandana and Alsheikh-Ali, Alawi and Bayoumi, Riad and Lansberg, Peter", title="Augmenting Flexnerism Via Twitterism: Need for Integrating Social Media Application in Blueprinting Pedagogical Strategies for Undergraduate Medical Education", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2019", month="Mar", day="25", volume="5", number="1", pages="e12403", keywords="social media", keywords="medical education", keywords="twitter messaging", keywords="Web 2.0", keywords="curriculum", abstract="Background: Flexnerism, or ``competency-based medical education,'' advocates that formal analytic reasoning, the kind of rational thinking fundamental to the basic sciences, especially the natural sciences, should be the foundation of physicians' intellectual training. The complexity of 21st century health care requires rethinking of current (medical) educational paradigms. In this ``Millennial Era,'' promulgation of the tenets of Flexnerism in undergraduate medical education requires a design and blueprint of innovative pedagogical strategies, as the targeted learners are millennials (designated as generation-Y medical students). Objective: The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to identify the specific social media app platforms that are selectively preferred by generation-Y medical students in undergraduate medical education. In addition, we aimed to explore if these preferred social media apps can be used to design an effective pedagogical strategy in order to disseminate course learning objectives in the preclinical phase of a spiral curriculum. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted by distributing a 17-item questionnaire among the first- and second-year medical students in the preclinical phase at the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Science. Results: The study identified YouTube and WhatsApp as the social media app platforms preferred by generation-Y medical students in undergraduate medical education. This study also identified the differences between female and male generation-Y medical students in terms of the use of social media apps in medical education, which we believe will assist instructors in designing pedagogical strategies to integrate social media apps. In addition, we determined the perceptions of generation-Y medical students on the implementation of social media apps in medical education. The pedagogical strategy designed using social media apps and implemented in the Biochemistry course was well accepted by generation-Y medical students and can be translated to any course in the preclinical phase of the medical curriculum. Moreover, the identified limitations of this study provide an understanding of the gaps in research in the integration of social media apps in a medical curriculum catering to generation-Y medical students. Conclusions: 21st century medical education requires effective use of social media app platforms to augment competency-based medical education: Augmentation of Flexnerism in the current scenario is possible only by the adaptation of Twitterism. ", doi="10.2196/12403", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2019/1/e12403/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30907736" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/11328, author="Rankin, Audra and Truskey, Maria and Chisolm, S. Margaret", title="The Use of Social Media in Interprofessional Education: Systematic Review", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2019", month="Jan", day="11", volume="5", number="1", pages="e11328", keywords="interprofessional education", keywords="interprofessional learning", keywords="medicine", keywords="nursing", keywords="social media, social networking", abstract="Background: The implementation of interprofessional education (IPE) activities into health care education is a challenge for many training programs owing to time and location constraints of both faculty and learners. The integration of social media into these IPE activities may provide a solution to these problems. Objective: This review of the published literature aims to identify health care IPE activities using social media. Methods: The authors searched 5 databases (from the beginning coverage date to May 27, 2017) using keywords related to IPE and social media. Teams of 2 authors independently reviewed the search results to identify peer-reviewed, English language papers reporting on IPE activities using social media. They assessed the study quality of identified papers using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument. Results: A total of 8 studies met the review's inclusion criteria. Of these 8 papers, 3 had single-group, posttest-only study design; 4 had single-group, pre- and posttest design; and 1 had nonrandomized 3-group design. Qualitative and quantitative outcome measures showed mixed results with the majority of student feedback being positive. Conclusions: Despite a need for additional research, this review suggests that the use of social media may aid the implementation of health care IPE. ", doi="10.2196/11328", url="https://mededu.jmir.org/2019/1/e11328/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30632967" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/10781, author="El Tantawi, Maha and Al-Ansari, Asim and AlSubaie, Abdulelah and Fathy, Amr and Aly, M. Nourhan and Mohamed, S. Amira", title="Reach of Messages in a Dental Twitter Network: Cohort Study Examining User Popularity, Communication Pattern, and Network Structure", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2018", month="Sep", day="13", volume="20", number="9", pages="e10781", keywords="social media", keywords="health communication", keywords="dentists", keywords="students, dental", keywords="social network analysis", keywords="twitter", keywords="social networks", abstract="Background: Increasing the reach of messages disseminated through Twitter promotes the success of Twitter-based health education campaigns. Objective: This study aimed to identify factors associated with reach in a dental Twitter network (1) initially and (2) sustainably at individual and network levels. Methods: We used instructors' and students' Twitter usernames from a Saudi dental school in 2016-2017 and applied Gephi (a social network analysis tool) and social media analytics to calculate user and network metrics. Content analysis was performed to identify users disseminating oral health information. The study outcomes were reach at baseline and sustainably over 1.5 years. The explanatory variables were indicators of popularity (number of followers, likes, tweets retweeted by others), communication pattern (number of tweets, retweets, replies, tweeting/ retweeting oral health information or not). Multiple logistic regression models were used to investigate associations. Results: Among dental users, 31.8\% had reach at baseline and 62.9\% at the end of the study, reaching a total of 749,923 and dropping to 37,169 users at the end. At an individual level, reach was associated with the number of followers (baseline: odds ratio, OR=1.003, 95\% CI=1.001-1.005 and sustainability: OR=1.002, 95\% CI=1.0001-1.003), likes (baseline: OR=1.001, 95\% CI=1.0001-1.002 and sustainability: OR=1.0031, 95\% CI=1.0003-1.002), and replies (baseline: OR=1.02, 95\% CI=1.005-1.04 and sustainability: OR=1.02, 95\% CI=1.004-1.03). At the network level, users with the least followers, tweets, retweets, and replies had the greatest reach. Conclusions: Reach was reduced by time. Factors increasing reach at the user level had different impact at the network level. More than one strategy is needed to maximize reach. ", doi="10.2196/10781", url="http://www.jmir.org/2018/9/e10781/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30213781" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.9810, author="Anderson, Irsk and Hulland, Oliver and Farnan, M. Jeanne and Lee, Wei Wei and Milton, Debra and Arora, M. Vineet", title="Enterprise Microblogging to Augment the Subinternship Clinical Learning Experience: A Proof-of-Concept Quality Improvement Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2018", month="Aug", day="21", volume="4", number="2", pages="e18", keywords="social media", keywords="medical education", keywords="microblogging platform", keywords="distance learning", abstract="Background: Although the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM) has created a core subinternship curriculum, the traditional experiential subinternship may not expose students to all topics. Furthermore, academic institutions often use multiple clinical training sites for the student clerkship experience. Objective: The objective of this study was to sustain a Web-based learning community across geographically disparate sites via enterprise microblogging to increase subintern exposure to the CDIM curriculum. Methods: Internal medicine subinterns used Yammer, a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)--secure enterprise microblogging platform, to post questions, images, and index conversations for searching. The subinterns were asked to submit 4 posts and participate in 4 discussions during their rotation. Faculty reinforced key points, answered questions, and monitored HIPAA compliance. Results: In total, 56 medical students rotated on an internal medicine subinternship from July 2014 to June 2016. Of them, 84\% returned the postrotation survey. Over the first 3 months, 100\% of CDIM curriculum topics were covered. Compared with the pilot year, the scale-up year demonstrated a significant increase in the number of students with >10 posts (scale-up year 49\% vs pilot year 19\%; P=.03) and perceived educational experience (58\% scale-up year vs 14\% pilot year; P=.006). Few students (6\%) noted privacy concerns, but fewer students in the scale-up year found Yammer to be a safe learning environment. Conclusions: Supplementing the subinternship clinical experience with an enterprise microblogging platform increased subinternship exposure to required curricular topics and was well received. Future work should address concerns about safe learning environment. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.9810", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2018/2/e18/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30131315" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/11140, author="Lewis, D. Jaime and Fane, E. Kathleen and Ingraham, M. Angela and Khan, Ayesha and Mills, M. Anne and Pitt, C. Susan and Ramo, Danielle and Wu, I. Roseann and Pollart, M. Susan", title="Expanding Opportunities for Professional Development: Utilization of Twitter by Early Career Women in Academic Medicine and Science", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2018", month="Jul", day="23", volume="4", number="2", pages="e11140", keywords="female", keywords="leadership", keywords="social media", keywords="academic success", keywords="professional development", doi="10.2196/11140", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2018/2/e11140/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30037788" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/10069, author="Hartnup, Becky and Dong, Lin and Eisingerich, Benedikt Andreas", title="How an Environment of Stress and Social Risk Shapes Student Engagement With Social Media as Potential Digital Learning Platforms: Qualitative Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2018", month="Jul", day="13", volume="4", number="2", pages="e10069", keywords="social media", keywords="online learning", keywords="digital engagement", keywords="stress", keywords="social risk", keywords="digital platforms", keywords="education", keywords="university adjustment", abstract="Background: Social media has been increasingly used as a learning tool in medical education. Specifically, when joining university, students often go through a phase of adjustment, and they need to cope with various challenges such as leaving their families and friends and trying to fit into a new environment. Research has shown that social media helps students to connect with old friends and to establish new relationships. However, managing friendships on social media might intertwine with the new learning environment that shapes students' online behaviors. Especially, when students perceive high levels of social risks when using social media, they may struggle to take advantage of the benefits that social media can provide for learning. Objective: This study aimed to develop a model that explores the drivers and inhibitors of student engagement with social media during their university adjustment phase. Methods: We used a qualitative method by interviewing 78 undergraduate students studying medical courses at UK research-focused universities. In addition, we interviewed 6 digital technology experts to provide additional insights into students' learning behaviors on social media. Results: Students' changing relationships and new academic environment in the university adjustment phase led to various factors that affected their social media engagement. The main drivers of social media engagement were maintaining existing relationships, building new relationships, and seeking academic support. Simultaneously, critical factors that inhibited the use of social media for learning emerged, namely, collapsed online identity, uncertain group norms, the desire to present an ideal self, and academic competition. These inhibitors led to student stress when managing their social media accounts, discouraged them from actively engaging on social media, and prevented the full exploitation of social media as an effective learning tool. Conclusions: This study identified important drivers and inhibitors for students to engage with social media platforms as learning tools. Although social media supported students to manage their relationships and support their learning, the interaction of critical factors, such as collapsed online identity, uncertain group norms, the desire to present an ideal self, and academic competition, caused psychological stress and impeded student engagement. Future research should explore how these inhibitors can be removed to reduce students' stress and to increase the use of social media for learning. More specifically, such insights will allow students to take full advantage of being connected, thus facilitating a richer learning experience during their university life. ", doi="10.2196/10069", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2018/2/e10069/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30006324" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/jmir.7990, author="Nicolai, Leo and Schmidbauer, Moritz and Gradel, Maximilian and Ferch, Sabine and Ant{\'o}n, Sof{\'i}a and Hoppe, Boj and Pander, Tanja and von der Borch, Philip and Pinilla, Severin and Fischer, Martin and Dimitriadis, Konstantinos", title="Facebook Groups as a Powerful and Dynamic Tool in Medical Education: Mixed-Method Study", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2017", month="Dec", day="22", volume="19", number="12", pages="e408", keywords="social media", keywords="Facebook", keywords="medical education", keywords="e-learning", keywords="faculty", keywords="networking", abstract="Background: Social networking sites, in particular Facebook, are not only predominant in students' social life but are to varying degrees interwoven with the medical curriculum. Particularly, Facebook groups have been identified for their potential in higher education. However, there is a paucity of data on user types, content, and dynamics of study-related Facebook groups. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the role of study-related Facebook group use, characterize medical students that use or avoid using Facebook groups (demographics, participation pattern, and motivation), and analyze student posting behavior, covered topics, dynamics, and limitations in Facebook groups with regards to educational usage. Methods: Using a multi-method approach (interviews, focus groups, and qualitative and quantitative analysis of Facebook posts), we analyzed two representative Facebook groups of medical preclinical semesters at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich. Facebook primary posts and replies over one semester were extracted and evaluated by using thematic content analysis. We developed and applied a coding scheme for studying the frequency and distribution of these posts. Additionally, we interviewed students with various degrees of involvement in the groups, as well as ``new minorities,'' students not registered on Facebook. Results: Facebook groups seem to have evolved as the main tool for medical students at LMU to complement the curriculum and to discuss study-related content. These Facebook groups are self-organizing and quickly adapt to organizational or subject-related challenges posed by the curriculum. A wide range of topics is covered, with a dominance of organization-related posts (58.35\% [6916/11,853] of overall posts). By measuring reply rates and comments per category, we were able to identify learning tips and strategies, material sharing, and course content discussions as the most relevant categories. Rates of adequate replies in these categories ranged between 78\% (11/14) and 100\% (13/13), and the number of comments per post ranged from 8.4 to 13.7 compared with the average overall reply rate of 68.69\% (1167/1699) and 3.9 comments per post. User typology revealed social media drivers (>30 posts per semester) as engines of group function, frequent users (11-30 posts), and a majority of average users acting rather as consumers or lurkers (1-10 posts). Conclusions: For the moment, the medical faculty has no active involvement in these groups and therefore no influence on accuracy of information, professionalism, and ethical issues. Nevertheless, faculty could in the future benefit by extracting relevant information, identifying common problems, and understanding semester-related dynamics. ", doi="10.2196/jmir.7990", url="http://www.jmir.org/2017/12/e408/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29273572" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/publichealth.6795, author="Hart, Mark and Stetten, E. Nichole and Islam, Sabrina and Pizarro, Katherine", title="Twitter and Public Health (Part 1): How Individual Public Health Professionals Use Twitter for Professional Development", journal="JMIR Public Health Surveill", year="2017", month="Sep", day="20", volume="3", number="3", pages="e60", keywords="Twitter", keywords="social media", keywords="public health", keywords="technology transfer", keywords="blogging", abstract="Background: The use of social networking sites is increasingly being adopted in public health, in part, because of the barriers to funding and reduced resources. Public health professionals are using social media platforms, specifically Twitter, as a way to facilitate professional development. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify public health professionals using Twitter and to analyze how they use this platform to enhance their formal and informal professional development within the context of public health. Methods: Keyword searches were conducted to identify and invite potential participants to complete a survey related to their use of Twitter for public health and professional experiences. Data regarding demographic attributes, Twitter usage, and qualitative information were obtained through an anonymous Web-based survey. Open-response survey questions were analyzed using the constant comparison method. Results: ``Using Twitter makes it easier to expand my networking opportunities'' and ``I find Twitter useful for professional development'' scored highest, with a mean score of 4.57 (standard deviation [SD] 0.74) and 4.43 (SD 0.76) on a 5-point Likert scale. Analysis of the qualitative data shows the emergence of the following themes for why public health professionals mostly use Twitter: (1) geography, (2) continuing education, (3) professional gain, and (4) communication. Conclusions: For public health professionals in this study, Twitter is a platform best used for their networking and professional development. Furthermore, the use of Twitter allows public health professionals to overcome a series of barriers and enhances opportunities for growth. ", doi="10.2196/publichealth.6795", url="http://publichealth.jmir.org/2017/3/e60/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28931499" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.6429, author="D'Souza, Karan and Henningham, Lucy and Zou, Runyu and Huang, Jessica and O'Sullivan, Elizabeth and Last, Jason and Ho, Kendall", title="Attitudes of Health Professional Educators Toward the Use of Social Media as a Teaching Tool: Global Cross-Sectional Study", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2017", month="Aug", day="04", volume="3", number="2", pages="e13", keywords="health education", keywords="health survey", keywords="teaching", keywords="health knowledge, attitudes, practice", keywords="interdisciplinary studies, social media", keywords="faculty development", abstract="Background: The use of social media in health education has witnessed a revolution within the past decade. Students have already adopted social media informally to share information and supplement their lecture-based learning. Although studies show comparable efficacy and improved engagement when social media is used as a teaching tool, broad-based adoption has been slow and the data on barriers to uptake have not been well documented. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess attitudes of health educators toward social media use in education, examine differences between faculty members who do and do not use social media in teaching practice, and determine contributing factors for an increase in the uptake of social media. Methods: A cross-sectional Web-based survey was disseminated to the faculty of health professional education departments at 8 global institutions. Respondents were categorized based on the frequency of social media use in teaching as ``users'' and ``nonusers.'' Users sometimes, often, or always used social media, whereas nonusers never or rarely used social media. Results: A total of 270 health educators (52.9\%, n=143 users and 47.0\%, n=127 nonusers) were included in the survey. Users and nonusers demonstrated significant differences on perceived barriers and potential benefits to the use of social media. Users were more motivated by learner satisfaction and deterred by lack of technology compatibility, whereas nonusers reported the need for departmental and skill development support. Both shared concerns of professionalism and lack of evidence showing enhanced learning. Conclusions: The majority of educators are open-minded to incorporating social media into their teaching practice. However, both users and nonusers have unique perceived challenges and needs, and engaging them to adapt social media into their educational practice will require previously unreported approaches. Identification of these differences and areas of overlap presents opportunities to determine a strategy to increase adoption. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.6429", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2017/2/e13/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28778841" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.6879, author="Mostaghimi, Arash and Olszewski, E. Aleksandra and Bell, K. Sigall and Roberts, H. David and Crotty, H. Bradley", title="Erosion of Digital Professionalism During Medical Students' Core Clinical Clerkships", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2017", month="May", day="03", volume="3", number="1", pages="e9", keywords="professionalism", keywords="health information systems", keywords="undergraduate medical education", keywords="social media", keywords="medical informatics", abstract="Background: The increased use of social media, cloud computing, and mobile devices has led to the emergence of guidelines and novel teaching efforts to guide students toward the appropriate use of technology. Despite this, violations of professional conduct are common. Objective: We sought to explore professional behaviors specific to appropriate use of technology by looking at changes in third-year medical students' attitudes and behaviors at the beginning and conclusion of their clinical clerkships. Methods: After formal teaching about digital professionalism, we administered a survey to medical students that described 35 technology-related behaviors and queried students about professionalism of the behavior (on a 5-point Likert scale), observation of others engaging in the behavior (yes or no), as well as personal participation in the behavior (yes or no). Students were resurveyed at the end of the academic year. Results: Over the year, perceptions of what is considered acceptable behavior regarding privacy, data security, communications, and social media boundaries changed, despite formal teaching sessions to reinforce professional behavior. Furthermore, medical students who observed unprofessional behaviors were more likely to participate in such behaviors. Conclusions: Although technology is a useful tool to enhance teaching and learning, our results reflect an erosion of professionalism related to information security that occurred despite medical school and hospital-based teaching sessions to promote digital professionalism. True alteration of trainee behavior will require a cultural shift that includes continual education, better role models, and frequent reminders for faculty, house staff, students, and staff. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.6879", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2017/1/e9/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28468745" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.6357, author="Maloney, Stephen and Tunnecliff, Jacqueline and Morgan, Prue and Gaida, James and Keating, Jennifer and Clearihan, Lyn and Sadasivan, Sivalal and Ganesh, Shankar and Mohanty, Patitapaban and Weiner, John and Rivers, George and Ilic, Dragan", title="Continuing Professional Development via Social Media or Conference Attendance: A Cost Analysis", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2017", month="Mar", day="30", volume="3", number="1", pages="e5", keywords="social media", keywords="knowledge translation", keywords="continuing medical education", abstract="Background: Professional development is essential in the health disciplines. Knowing the cost and value of educational approaches informs decisions and choices about learning and teaching practices. Objective: The primary aim of this study was to conduct a cost analysis of participation in continuing professional development via social media compared with live conference attendance. Methods: Clinicians interested in musculoskeletal care were invited to participate in the study activities. Quantitative data were obtained from an anonymous electronic questionnaire. Results: Of the 272 individuals invited to contribute data to this study, 150 clinicians predominantly from Australia, United States, United Kingdom, India, and Malaysia completed the outcome measures. Half of the respondents (78/150, 52.0\%) believed that they would learn more with the live conference format. The median perceived participation costs for the live conference format was Aus \$1596 (interquartile range, IQR 172.50-2852.00). The perceived cost of participation for equivalent content delivered via social media was Aus \$15 (IQR 0.00-58.50). The majority of the clinicians (114/146, 78.1\%, missing data n=4) indicated that they would pay for a subscription-based service, delivered by social media, to the median value of Aus \$59.50. Conclusions: Social media platforms are evolving into an acceptable and financially sustainable medium for the continued professional development of health professionals. When factoring in the reduced costs of participation and the reduced loss of employable hours from the perspective of the health service, professional development via social media has unique strengths that challenge the traditional live conference delivery format. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.6357", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2017/1/e5/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28360023" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.5993, author="Dawkins, Rachel and King, D. William and Boateng, Beatrice and Nichols, Michele and Desselle, C. Bonnie", title="Pediatric Residents' Perceptions of Potential Professionalism Violations on Social Media: A US National Survey", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2017", month="Jan", day="31", volume="3", number="1", pages="e2", keywords="social media", keywords="professionalism", keywords="resident education", keywords="pediatrics", keywords="graduate medical education", abstract="Background: The ubiquitous use of social media by physicians poses professionalism challenges. Regulatory bodies have disseminated guidelines related to physicians' use of social media. Objective: This study had 2 objectives: (1) to understand what pediatric residents view as appropriate social media postings, and (2) to recognize the degree to which these residents are exposed to postings that violate social media professionalism guidelines. Methods: We distributed an electronic survey to pediatric residents across the United States. The survey consisted of 5 postings from a hypothetical resident's personal Facebook page. The vignettes highlighted common scenarios that challenge published social media professionalism guidelines. We asked 2 questions for each vignette regarding (1) the resident's opinion of the posting's appropriateness, and (2) their frequency of viewing similar posts. We also elicited demographic data (age, sex, postgraduate year level), frequency of Facebook use, awareness of their institutional policies, and prior social media training. Results: Of 1628 respondents, 1498 (92.01\%) of the pediatric residents acknowledged having a Facebook account, of whom 888/1628 (54.55\%) reported daily use and 346/1628 (21.25\%) reported using Facebook a few times a week. Residents frequently viewed posts that violated professionalism standards, including use of derogatory remarks about patients (1756/3256, 53.93\%) and, much less frequently, about attending physicians (114/1628, 7.00\%). The majority of the residents properly identified these postings as inappropriate. Residents had frequently viewed a post similar to one showing physicians drinking alcoholic beverages while in professional attire or scrubs and were neutral on this post's appropriateness. Residents also reported a lack of knowledge about institutional policies on social media (651/1628, or 40.00\%, were unaware of a policy; 204/1628, or 12.53\%, said that no policy existed). A total of 372/1628 respondents (22.85\%) stated that they had never received any structured training on social media professionalism. Conclusions: Today's residents, like others of their generation, use social media sites to converse with peers without considering the implications for the profession. The frequent use of social media by learners needs to change the emphasis educators and regulatory bodies place on social media guidelines and teaching professionalism in the digital age. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.5993", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2017/1/e2/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28143804" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.6304, author="O'Sullivan, Elizabeth and Cutts, Emily and Kavikondala, Sushma and Salcedo, Alejandra and D'Souza, Karan and Hernandez-Torre, Martin and Anderson, Claire and Tiwari, Agnes and Ho, Kendall and Last, Jason", title="Social Media in Health Science Education: An International Survey", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2017", month="Jan", day="04", volume="3", number="1", pages="e1", keywords="health education", keywords="health surveys", keywords="interdisciplinary studies", keywords="learning", keywords="professionalism", keywords="self report", keywords="social media", keywords="students", keywords="surveys and questionnaires", keywords="universities", abstract="Background: Social media is an asset that higher education students can use for an array of purposes. Studies have shown the merits of social media use in educational settings; however, its adoption in health science education has been slow, and the contributing reasons remain unclear. Objective: This multidisciplinary study aimed to examine health science students' opinions on the use of social media in health science education and identify factors that may discourage its use. Methods: Data were collected from the Universitas 21 ``Use of social media in health education'' survey, distributed electronically among the health science staff and students from 8 universities in 7 countries. The 1640 student respondents were grouped as users or nonusers based on their reported frequency of social media use in their education. Results: Of the 1640 respondents, 1343 (81.89\%) use social media in their education. Only 462 of the 1320 (35.00\%) respondents have received specific social media training, and of those who have not, the majority (64.9\%, 608/936) would like the opportunity. Users and nonusers reported the same 3 factors as the top barriers to their use of social media: uncertainty on policies, concerns about professionalism, and lack of support from the department. Nonusers reported all the barriers more frequently and almost half of nonusers reported not knowing how to incorporate social media into their learning. Among users, more than one fifth (20.5\%, 50/243) of students who use social media ``almost always'' reported sharing clinical images without explicit permission. Conclusions: Our global, interdisciplinary study demonstrates that a significant number of students across all health science disciplines self-reported sharing clinical images inappropriately, and thus request the need for policies and training specific to social media use in health science education. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.6304", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2017/1/e1/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28052842" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.6232, author="Alsobayel, Hana", title="Use of Social Media for Professional Development by Health Care Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Web-Based Survey", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2016", month="Sep", day="12", volume="2", number="2", pages="e15", keywords="social media", keywords="education, professional", keywords="health education", keywords="professional competence", abstract="Background: Social media can be used in health care settings to enhance professional networking and education; patient communication, care, and education; public health programs; organizational promotion; and research. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the use of social media networks for the purpose of professional development among health care professionals in Saudi Arabia using a purpose-designed Web-based survey. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was undertaken. A link to the survey was posted on the investigator's personal social media accounts including Twitter, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp. Results: A total of 231 health care professionals, who are generally social media users, participated in the study. Of these professionals, 70.6\% (163/231) use social media for their professional development. The social media applications most frequently used, in the descending order, for professional development were Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. The majority of respondents used social media for professional development irrespective of their age group, with the highest proportion seen in those aged 20-30 years. Social media were perceived as being most beneficial for professional development in terms of their impact on the domains of knowledge and problem solving and least helpful for enhancing clinical skills. Twitter was perceived as the most helpful type of social media for all domains listed. Respondents most frequently reported that social media were useful for professional development for the reasons of knowledge exchange and networking. Conclusions: Social media are frequently used by health care professionals in Saudi Arabia for the purposes of professional development, with Twitter most frequently used for this purpose. These findings suggest that social media networks can be powerful tools for engaging health care professionals in their professional development. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.6232", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2016/2/e15/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27731855" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.4867, author="Cameron, Blake Christian and Nair, Vinay and Varma, Manu and Adams, Martha and Jhaveri, D. Kenar and Sparks, A. Matthew", title="Does Academic Blogging Enhance Promotion and Tenure? A Survey of US and Canadian Medicine and Pediatric Department Chairs", journal="JMIR Med Educ", year="2016", month="Jun", day="23", volume="2", number="1", pages="e10", keywords="social media", keywords="blogging", keywords="promotion", keywords="tenure", keywords="survey", keywords="medicine", keywords="pediatrics", abstract="Background: Electronic educational (e-learning) technology usage continues to grow. Many medical journals operate companion blogs (an application of e-learning technology) that enable rapid dissemination of scientific knowledge and discourse. Faculty members participating in promotion and tenure academic tracks spend valuable time and effort contributing, editing, and directing these medical journal blogs. Objective: We sought to understand whether chairs of medicine and pediatric departments acknowledge blog authorship as academic achievement. Methods: The authors surveyed 267 chairs of US and Canadian medicine and pediatric departments regarding their attitudes toward the role of faculty participation in e-learning and blogging in the promotion and tenure process. The survey completion rate was 22.8\% (61/267). Results: A majority of respondents (87\%, 53/61) viewed educational scholarship as either important or very important for promotion. However, only 23\% (14/61) perceived importance to faculty effort in producing content for journal-based blogs. If faculty were to participate in blog authorship, 72\% (44/61) of surveyed chairs favored involvement in a journal-based versus a society-based or a personal (nonaffiliated) blog. We identified a ``favorable group'' of chairs (19/59, 32\%), who rated leadership roles in e-learning tools as important or very important, and an ``unfavorable group'' of chairs (40/59, 68\%), who rated leadership roles in e-learning tools as somewhat important or not important. The favorable group were more likely to be aware of faculty bloggers within their departments (58\%, 11/19 vs 25\%, 10/40), viewed serving on editorial boards of e-learning tools more favorably (79\%, 15/19 vs 31\%, 12/39), and were more likely to value effort spent contributing to journal-based blogs (53\%, 10/19 vs 10\%, 4/40). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that although the majority of department chairs value educational scholarship, only a minority perceive value in faculty blogging effort. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.4867", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2016/1/e10/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27731858" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/jmir.5612, author="Lefebvre, Cedric and Mesner, Jason and Stopyra, Jason and O'Neill, James and Husain, Iltifat and Geer, Carol and Gerancher, Karen and Atkinson, Hal and Harper, Erin and Huang, William and Cline, M. David", title="Social Media in Professional Medicine: New Resident Perceptions and Practices", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2016", month="Jun", day="09", volume="18", number="6", pages="e119", keywords="social media", keywords="professionalism", keywords="physicians", keywords="education", abstract="Background: For younger generations, unconstrained online social activity is the norm. Little data are available about perceptions among young medical practitioners who enter the professional clinical arena, while the impact of existing social media policy on these perceptions is unclear. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the existing perceptions about social media and professionalism among new physicians entering in professional clinical practice; and to determine the effects of formal social media instruction and policy on young professionals' ability to navigate case-based scenarios about online behavior in the context of professional medicine. Methods: This was a prospective observational study involving the new resident physicians at a large academic medical center. Medical residents from 9 specialties were invited to participate and answer an anonymous questionnaire about social media in clinical medicine. Data were analyzed using SAS 9.4 (Cary, NC), chi-square or Fisher's exact test was used as appropriate, and the correct responses were compared between different groups using the Kruskal--Wallis analysis of variance. Results: Familiarity with current institutional policy was associated with an average of 2.2 more correct responses (P=.01). Instruction on social media use during medical school was related to correct responses for 2 additional questions (P=.03). On dividing the groups into no policy exposure, single policy exposure, or both exposures, the mean differences were found to be statistically significant (3.5, 7.5, and 9.4, respectively) (P=.03). Conclusions: In this study, a number of young physicians demonstrated a casual approach to social media activity in the context of professional medical practice. Several areas of potential educational opportunity and focus were identified: (1) online privacy, (2) maintaining digital professionalism, (3) safeguarding the protected health information of patients, and (4) the impact of existing social media policies. Prior social media instruction and/or familiarity with a social media policy are associated with an improved performance on case-based questions regarding online professionalism. This suggests a correlation between an instruction about online professionalism and more cautious online behavior. Improving the content and delivery of social media policy may assist in preserving institutional priorities, protecting patient information, and safeguarding young professionals from online misadventure. ", doi="10.2196/jmir.5612", url="http://www.jmir.org/2016/6/e119/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27283846" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.4715, author="Hatzipanagos, Stylianos and John, Bernadette and Chiu, Tiffany Yuan-Li", title="The Significance of Kinship for Medical Education: Reflections on the Use of a Bespoke Social Network to Support Learners' Professional Identities", journal="JMIR Medical Education", year="2016", month="Mar", day="03", volume="2", number="1", pages="e1", keywords="institutional social networks", keywords="collaborative software", keywords="medical education", keywords="social media", abstract="Background: Social media can support and sustain communities much better than previous generations of learning technologies, where institutional barriers undermined any initiatives for embedding formal and informal learning. Some of the many types of social media have already had an impact on student learning, based on empirical evidence. One of these, social networking, has the potential to support communication in formal and informal spaces. Objective: In this paper we report on the evaluation of an institutional social network---King's Social Harmonisation Project (KINSHIP)---established to foster an improved sense of community, enhance communication, and serve as a space to model digital professionalism for students at King's College London, United Kingdom. Methods: Our evaluation focused on a study that examined students' needs and perceptions with regard to the provision of a cross-university platform. Data were collected from students, including those in the field of health and social care, in order to recommend a practical way forward to address current needs in this area. Results: The findings indicate that the majority of the respondents were positive about using a social networking platform to develop their professional voice and profiles. Results suggest that timely promotion of the platform, emphasis on interface and learning design, and a clear identity are required in order to gain acceptance as the institutional social networking site. Conclusions: Empirical findings in this study project an advantage of an institutional social network such a KINSHIP over other social networks (eg, Facebook) because access is limited to staff and students and the site is mainly being used for academic purposes. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.4715", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2016/1/e1/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27731848" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.4886, author="Flickinger, E. Tabor and O'Hagan, Thomas and Chisolm, S. Margaret", title="Developing a Curriculum to Promote Professionalism for Medical Students Using Social Media: Pilot of a Workshop and Blog-Based Intervention", journal="JMIR Medical Education", year="2015", month="Dec", day="01", volume="1", number="2", pages="e17", keywords="medical education", keywords="medical students", keywords="professionalism", keywords="social media", keywords="social networking", abstract="Background: As the use of social media (SM) tools becomes increasingly widespread, medical trainees need guidance on applying principles of professionalism to their online behavior. Objective: To develop a curriculum to improve knowledge and skills regarding professionalism of SM use by medical students. Methods: This project was conducted in 3 phases: (1) a needs assessment was performed via a survey of medical students regarding SM use, rationale for and frequency of use, and concerns; (2) a workshop-format curriculum was designed and piloted for preclinical students to gain foundational knowledge of online professionalism; and (3) a complementary longitudinal SM-based curriculum was designed and piloted for clinical students to promote both medical humanism and professionalism. Results: A total of 72 medical students completed the survey (response rate 30\%). Among the survey respondents, 71/72 (99\%) reported visiting social networking sites, with 55/72 (76\%) reporting daily visits. Privacy of personal information (62/72, 86\%) and mixing of personal/professional identities (49/72, 68\%) were the students' most commonly endorsed concerns regarding SM use. The workshop-format curriculum was evaluated qualitatively via participant feedback. Of the 120 students who participated in the workshop, 91 completed the post workshop evaluation (response rate 76\%), with 56 positive comments and 54 suggestions for improvement. The workshop was experienced by students as enjoyable, thought provoking, informative, and relevant. Suggestions for improvement included adjustments to timing, format, and content of the workshop. The SM-based curriculum was evaluated by a small-scale pilot of 11 students, randomized to the intervention group (participation in faculty-moderated blog) or the control group. Outcomes were assessed quantitatively and qualitatively via personal growth scales, participant feedback, and analysis of blog themes. There was a trend toward improvement in total personal growth scores among those students in the blog group from 3.65 (0.47) to 4.11 (0.31) (mean [SD]) with no change observed for the students in the control group (3.89 [0.11] before and after evaluation). Themes relevant to humanism and professionalism were observed in the blog discussion. Conclusions: Most medical students surveyed reported using SM and identified privacy and personal-professional boundaries as areas of concern. The workshop format and SM-based curricula were well-received by students whose formative feedback will inform the refinement and further development of efforts to promote professionalism among medical students. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.4886", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2015/2/e17/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27731846" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.5063, author="Pinilla, Severin and Nicolai, Leo and Gradel, Maximilian and Pander, Tanja and Fischer, R. Martin and von der Borch, Philip and Dimitriadis, Konstantinos", title="Undergraduate Medical Students Using Facebook as a Peer-Mentoring Platform: A Mixed-Methods Study", journal="JMIR Medical Education", year="2015", month="Oct", day="27", volume="1", number="2", pages="e12", keywords="medical education", keywords="peer mentoring", keywords="social media", keywords="Facebook", abstract="Background: Peer mentoring is a powerful pedagogical approach for supporting undergraduate medical students in their learning environment. However, it remains unclear what exactly peer mentoring is and whether and how undergraduate medical students use social media for peer-mentoring activities. Objective: We aimed at describing and exploring the Facebook use of undergraduate medical students during their first 2 years at a German medical school. The data should help medical educators to effectively integrate social media in formal mentoring programs for medical students. Methods: We developed a coding scheme for peer mentoring and conducted a mixed-methods study in order to explore Facebook groups of undergraduate medical students from a peer-mentoring perspective. Results: All major peer-mentoring categories were identified in Facebook groups of medical students. The relevance of these Facebook groups was confirmed through triangulation with focus groups and descriptive statistics. Medical students made extensive use of Facebook and wrote a total of 11,853 posts and comments in the respective Facebook groups (n=2362 total group members). Posting peaks were identified at the beginning of semesters and before exam periods, reflecting the formal curriculum milestones. Conclusions: Peer mentoring is present in Facebook groups formed by undergraduate medical students who extensively use these groups to seek advice from peers on study-related issues and, in particular, exam preparation. These groups also seem to be effective in supporting responsive and large-scale peer-mentoring structures; formal mentoring programs might benefit from integrating social media into their activity portfolio. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.5063", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2015/2/e12/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27731859" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/jmir.4763, author="Maloney, Stephen and Tunnecliff, Jacqueline and Morgan, Prue and Gaida, E. Jamie and Clearihan, Lyn and Sadasivan, Sivalal and Davies, David and Ganesh, Shankar and Mohanty, Patitapaban and Weiner, John and Reynolds, John and Ilic, Dragan", title="Translating Evidence Into Practice via Social Media: A Mixed-Methods Study", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2015", month="Oct", day="26", volume="17", number="10", pages="e242", keywords="social media", keywords="medical informatics", keywords="evidence-based practice", keywords="e-learning", abstract="Background: Approximately 80\% of research evidence relevant to clinical practice never reaches the clinicians delivering patient care. A key barrier for the translation of evidence into practice is the limited time and skills clinicians have to find and appraise emerging evidence. Social media may provide a bridge between health researchers and health service providers. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of social media as an educational medium to effectively translate emerging research evidence into clinical practice. Methods: The study used a mixed-methods approach. Evidence-based practice points were delivered via social media platforms. The primary outcomes of attitude, knowledge, and behavior change were assessed using a preintervention/postintervention evaluation, with qualitative data gathered to contextualize the findings. Results: Data were obtained from 317 clinicians from multiple health disciplines, predominantly from the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, India, and Malaysia. The participants reported an overall improvement in attitudes toward social media for professional development (P<.001). The knowledge evaluation demonstrated a significant increase in knowledge after the training (P<.001). The majority of respondents (136/194, 70.1\%) indicated that the education they had received via social media had changed the way they practice, or intended to practice. Similarly, a large proportion of respondents (135/193, 69.9\%) indicated that the education they had received via social media had increased their use of research evidence within their clinical practice. Conclusions: Social media may be an effective educational medium for improving knowledge of health professionals, fostering their use of research evidence, and changing their clinical behaviors by translating new research evidence into clinical practice. ", doi="10.2196/jmir.4763", url="http://www.jmir.org/2015/10/e242/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26503129" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.4411, author="Mesko, Bertalan and Gy?rffy, Zsuzsanna and Koll{\'a}r, J{\'a}nos", title="Digital Literacy in the Medical Curriculum: A Course With Social Media Tools and Gamification", journal="JMIR Medical Education", year="2015", month="Oct", day="01", volume="1", number="2", pages="e6", keywords="medical education", keywords="social media", keywords="digital literacy", abstract="Background: The profession of practicing medicine is based on communication, and as social media and other digital technologies play a major role in today's communication, digital literacy must be included in the medical curriculum. The value of social media has been demonstrated several times in medicine and health care, therefore it is time to prepare medical students for the conditions they will have to face when they graduate. Objective: The aim of our study was to design a new e-learning-based curriculum and test it with medical students. Method: An elective course was designed to teach students how to use the Internet, with a special emphasis on social media. An e-learning platform was also made available and students could access material about using digital technologies on the online platforms they utilized the most. All students filled in online surveys before and after the course in order to provide feedback about the curriculum. Results: Over a 3-year period, 932 students completed the course. The course did not increase the number of hours spent online but aimed at making that time more efficient and useful. Based on the responses of students, they found the information provided by the curriculum useful for their studies and future practices. Conclusions: A well-designed course, improved by constant evaluation-based feedback, can be suitable for preparing students for the massive use of the Internet, social media platforms, and digital technologies. New approaches must be applied in modern medical education in order to teach students new skills. Such curriculums that put emphasis on reaching students on the online channels they use in their studies and everyday lives introduce them to the world of empowered patients and prepare them to deal with the digital world. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.4411", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2015/2/e6/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27731856" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/jmir.4786, author="Perera, Marlon and Roberts, Matthew and Lawrentschuk, Nathan and Bolton, Damien", title="Response to ``Twitter-Based Journal Clubs: Some Additional Facts and Clarifications''", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2015", month="Sep", day="18", volume="17", number="9", pages="e217", doi="10.2196/jmir.4786", url="http://www.jmir.org/2015/9/e217/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26385506" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/jmir.4639, author="Topf, M. Joel and Sparks, A. Matthew and Iannuzzella, Francesco and Lerma, Edgar and Oates, Thomas and Phelan, J. Paul and Hiremath, Swapnil", title="Twitter-Based Journal Clubs: Additional Facts and Clarifications", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2015", month="Sep", day="16", volume="17", number="9", pages="e216", doi="10.2196/jmir.4639", url="http://www.jmir.org/2015/9/e216/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26376668" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.4908, author="El Bialy, Safaa and Jalali, Alireza", title="Go Where the Students Are: A Comparison of the Use of Social Networking Sites Between Medical Students and Medical Educators", journal="JMIR Medical Education", year="2015", month="Sep", day="08", volume="1", number="2", pages="e7", keywords="social media", keywords="e-learning", keywords="innovations in medical education", abstract="Background: Medical education has grown beyond the boundaries of the classroom, and social media is seen as the bridge between informal and formal learning as it keeps students highly engaged with educational content outside the classroom. Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of medical educators and medical students regarding the use of social media for educational purposes. Methods: Both groups (medical educators and students) were invited to take a survey. The surveys consisted of 29 questions, including Likert-style, multiple choice, yes/no, ranking, and short answer questions. The survey forms and statistics were built using Google Drive analytics with the free Spanning Stats module.To compare between professors and students, results were exported to a Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft Corp, Redmond, WA). The study protocol was approved by The Ottawa Health Science Network Research Ethics Board (OHSN-REB:20140680-01H). Results: The overall response rate to the survey was 40.9\% (63/154) for students, and 36\% (72/200) for medical educators. The majority of educators (79\%, 57/72) and students (100.0\%, 63/63) had presence on social networking sites (SNSs). Only (33\% 19/57) of educators used SNSs with their students, the most used sites were Facebook (52\%, 10/19) and Twitter (47\%, 9/19), followed by LinkedIn (21\%, 4/19), Google+ (16\%, 3/19),YouTube (11\%, 2/19), and blogs (11\%, 2/19). Facebook (100\%, 63/63), YouTube (43\%, 27/63), Twitter (31\%, 20/63), and Instagram (30\%, 19/63) were the sites most commonly used by students. The educators used SNSs mainly to post opinions (86\%, 49/57), share videos (81\%, 46/57), chat (71\%, 41/57), engage in medical education (68\%, 40/57), take surveys (24\%, 14/57), and play games (5\%, 3/57). On the other hand, students used SNSs mainly to chat with friends (94\%, 59/63), for medical education purposes (67\%, 42/63), to share videos (62\%, 39/63), to post opinions (49\%, 31/63), to take surveys (11\%, 7/63), and to play games (6\%, 4/63). Most educators (67\%, 38/57) do not use social media in their education Although most of the educators (89\%, 17/19) and students (73\%, 46/63) found the use of social media time-effective, that it offered an inviting atmosphere (89\%, 17/19 and 70\%, 44/63), and that it enhanced the learning experience (95\%, 18/19 and 70\%, 44/63), both groups stated that they had colleagues who refused to use social media. The detractors' concerns included privacy issues (47\%, 18/38), time-wasting (34\%, 13/38), distraction (21\%, 8/38), and that these media might not be suitable for education (11\%, 4/38). When it came to using SNSs with the students, the educators most often used SNSs to post articles (42\%, 8/19), explanatory comments (31\%, 6/19), and videos (27\%, 5/19).While students preferred the following posts : Quizzes (87\% 55/63), revision files (82\% 52/63) and explanatory comments (29\% 21/63). Conclusions: Although social media continue to grow, some educators find that they do not offer suitable modes of learning. However, it is important to acknowledge that there are persistent differences in technology adoption and use along gender, racial, and socioeconomic lines; this is often referred to as the ``digital divide''. The current study shows that students prefer certain posts like quizzes and revision files, while educators are focused on posting videos, articles, and explanatory comments. Medical educators are encouraged to focus on the students in a way to minimize the gap between learners and educators. It will remain our responsibility as educators to focuson the student, use SNSs at their fullest, and integrate them into traditional Web-based management systems and into existingcurricula to best benefit the students. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.4908", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2015/2/e7/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27731847" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/mededu.4434, author="Bergl, A. Paul and Narang, Akhil and Arora, M. Vineet", title="Maintaining a Twitter Feed to Advance an Internal Medicine Residency Program's Educational Mission", journal="JMIR Medical Education", year="2015", month="Jul", day="10", volume="1", number="2", pages="e5", keywords="social media", keywords="medical education", keywords="Twitter messaging", keywords="Internet/ethics", abstract="Background: Residency programs face many challenges in educating learners. The millennial generation's learning preferences also force us to reconsider how to reach physicians in training. Social media is emerging as a viable tool for advancing curricula in graduate medical education. Objective: The authors sought to understand how social media enhances a residency program's educational mission. Methods: While chief residents in the 2013-2014 academic year, two of the authors (PB, AN) maintained a Twitter feed for their academic internal medicine residency program. Participants included the chief residents and categorical internal medicine house staff. Results: At the year's end, the authors surveyed residents about uses and attitudes toward this initiative. Residents generally found the chief residents' tweets informative, and most residents (42/61, 69\%) agreed that Twitter enhanced their overall education in residency. Conclusions: Data from this single-site intervention corroborate that Twitter can strengthen a residency program's educational mission. The program's robust following on Twitter outside of the home program also suggests a need for wider adoption of social media in graduate medical education. Improved use of data analytics and dissemination of these practices to other programs would lend additional insight into social media's role in improving residents' educational experiences. ", doi="10.2196/mededu.4434", url="http://mededu.jmir.org/2015/2/e5/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27731845" } @Article{info:doi/10.2196/jmir.4194, author="Roberts, John Matthew and Perera, Marlon and Lawrentschuk, Nathan and Romanic, Diana and Papa, Nathan and Bolton, Damien", title="Globalization of Continuing Professional Development by Journal Clubs via Microblogging: A Systematic Review", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2015", month="Apr", day="23", volume="17", number="4", pages="e103", keywords="journal club", keywords="social media", keywords="continuing medical education", keywords="continuing professional development", keywords="systematic review", abstract="Background: Journal clubs are an essential tool in promoting clinical evidence-based medical education to all medical and allied health professionals. Twitter represents a public, microblogging forum that can facilitate traditional journal club requirements, while also reaching a global audience, and participation for discussion with study authors and colleagues. Objective: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the current state of social media--facilitated journal clubs, specifically Twitter, as an example of continuing professional development. Methods: A systematic review of literature databases (Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, ERIC via ProQuest) was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic search of Twitter, the followers of identified journal clubs, and Symplur was also performed. Demographic and monthly tweet data were extracted from Twitter and Symplur. All manuscripts related to Twitter-based journal clubs were included. Statistical analyses were performed in MS Excel and STATA. Results: From a total of 469 citations, 11 manuscripts were included and referred to five Twitter-based journal clubs (\#ALiEMJC, \#BlueJC, \#ebnjc, \#urojc, \#meded). A Twitter-based journal club search yielded 34 potential hashtags/accounts, of which 24 were included in the final analysis. The median duration of activity was 11.75 (interquartile range [IQR] 19.9, SD 10.9) months, with 7 now inactive. The median number of followers and participants was 374 (IQR 574) and 157 (IQR 272), respectively. An overall increasing establishment of active Twitter-based journal clubs was observed, resulting in an exponential increase in total cumulative tweets (R2=.98), and tweets per month (R2=.72). Cumulative tweets for specific journal clubs increased linearly, with @ADC\_JC, @EBNursingBMJ, @igsjc, @iurojc, and @NephJC, and showing greatest rate of change, as well as total impressions per month since establishment. An average of two tweets per month was estimated for the majority of participants, while the ``Top 10'' tweeters for @iurojc showed a significantly lower contribution to overall tweets for each month (P<.005). A linearly increasing impression:tweet ratio was observed for the top five journal clubs. Conclusions: Twitter-based journal clubs are free, time-efficient, and publicly accessible means to facilitate international discussions regarding clinically important evidence-based research. ", doi="10.2196/jmir.4194", url="http://www.jmir.org/2015/4/e103/", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25908092" }