The Current Use of Social Media in Neurosurgery

Social media networking in pediatric hydrocephalus: a point-prevalence analysis of utilization

OBJECTIVE A recent survey has shown that caregivers of children with shunt-treated hydrocephalus frequently use social media networks for support and information gathering. The objective of this study is to describe and assess social media utilization among users interested in hydrocephalus. METHODS Publicly accessible accounts and videos dedicated to the topic of hydrocephalus were comprehensively searched across 3 social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) throughout March 2016. Summary statistics were calculated on standard metrics of social media popularity. A categorization framework to describe the purpose of pages, groups, accounts, channels, and videos was developed following the screening of 100 titles. Categorized data were analyzed using nonparametric tests for statistical significance. RESULTS The authors' search identified 30 Facebook pages, 213 Facebook groups, 17 Twitter accounts, and 253 YouTube videos. These platforms were run by patients, caregivers, nonprofit foundations, and patient support groups. Most accounts were from the United States (n = 196), followed by the United Kingdom (n = 31), Canada (n = 17), India (n = 15), and Germany (n = 12). The earliest accounts were created in 2007, and a peak of 65 new accounts were created in 2011. The total number of users in Facebook pages exceeded those in Facebook groups (p < 0.001). The majority of users in Facebook groups were in private groups, in contrast to public groups (p < 0.001). The YouTube videos with the highest median number of views were for surgical products and treatment procedures. CONCLUSIONS This study presents novel observations into the characteristics of social media use in the topic of hydrocephalus. Users interested in hydrocephalus seek privacy for support communications and are attracted to treatment procedure and surgical products videos. These findings provide insight into potential avenues of hydrocephalus outreach, support, or advocacy in social media.

Social media presence of otolaryngology journals: The past, present, and future

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS

Evaluate the use of Twitter by otolaryngology journals and determine the relationship between social media altmetrics and measures of academic impact.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis.

METHODS

Twitter profiles from the top 50 otolaryngology journals per 2016 SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) were included. Twitter activity for each profile was calculated using Twitonomy analytics and Riffle software. Social media influence was measured using Klout scores. Annual SJR rank and H-Index scores between 2008 and 2016 were recorded for each journal. Associations between social media influence and academic indices were assessed using Wilcoxon rank sum test, Spearman's rank order test, and Pearson correlation coefficients (α = .05).

RESULTS

Average SJR was 0.86 ± 0.3 and H-Index was 50.9 ± 24. Eighteen journals had Twitter profiles. Journals with social media accounts had significantly higher SJR (P = .03) and H-Index (P = .01) scores compared to those without. The average Klout score of Twitter profiles was 32.5 ± 13. There was a significant association between a journal's Klout score and SJR rank (P = .004). Older Twitter profiles had higher Klout scores (P = .04). There was a direct relationship between a journal's total Twitter followers and H-Index score (P = .009), and a direct relationship between tweets and academic influence (P = .03 and .01 for SJR and H-Index, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Social media is often underutilized and remains an untapped resource by many journals to increase readership and disseminate research. Journals with social media profiles had significantly higher academic metrics, and among journals with profiles, increased online activity was a predictor for academic influence. Future studies are warranted to elucidate causal relationships.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

NA. Laryngoscope, 128:363-368, 2018.

Social media in epilepsy: A quantitative and qualitative analysis

BACKGROUND

While the social burden of epilepsy has been extensively studied, an evaluation of social media related to epilepsy may provide novel insight into disease perception, patient needs and access to treatments. The objective of this study is to assess patterns in social media and online communication usage related to epilepsy and its associated topics.

METHODS

We searched two major social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter) for public accounts dedicated to epilepsy. Results were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The former involved thematic and word count analysis for online posts and tweets on these platforms, while the latter employed descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests.

RESULTS

Facebook had a higher number of pages (840 accounts) and users (3 million) compared to Twitter (137 accounts and 274,663 users). Foundation and support groups comprised most of the accounts and users on both Facebook and Twitter. The number of accounts increased by 100% from 2012 to 2016. Among the 403 posts and tweets analyzed, "providing information" on medications or correcting common misconceptions in epilepsy was the most common theme (48%). Surgical interventions for epilepsy were only mentioned in 1% of all posts and tweets.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study provides a comprehensive reference on the usage of social media in epilepsy. The number of online users interested in epilepsy is likely the highest among all neurological conditions. Surgery, as a method of treating refractory epilepsy, however, could be underrepresented on social media.

Google Search Queries About Neurosurgical Topics: Are They a Suitable Guide for Neurosurgeons?

OBJECTIVE

Google is the most popular search engine, with about 100 billion searches per month. Google Trends is an integrated tool that allows users to obtain Google's search popularity statistics from the last decade. Our aim was to evaluate whether Google Trends is a useful tool to assess the public's interest in specific neurosurgical topics.

METHODS

We evaluated Google Trends statistics for the neurosurgical search topic areas "hydrocephalus," "spinal stenosis," "concussion," "vestibular schwannoma," and "cerebral arteriovenous malformation." We compared these with bibliometric data from PubMed and epidemiologic data from the German Federal Monitoring Agency. In addition, we assessed Google users' search behavior for the search terms "glioblastoma" and "meningioma."

RESULTS

Over the last 10 years, there has been an increasing interest in the topic "concussion" from Internet users in general and scientists. "Spinal stenosis," "concussion," and "vestibular schwannoma" are topics that are of special interest in high-income countries (eg, Germany), whereas "hydrocephalus" is a popular topic in low- and middle-income countries. The Google-defined top searches within these topic areas revealed more detail about people's interests (eg, "normal pressure hydrocephalus" or "football concussion" ranked among the most popular search queries within the corresponding topics). There was a similar volume of queries for "glioblastoma" and "meningioma."

CONCLUSIONS

Google Trends is a useful source to elicit information about general trends in peoples' health interests and the role of different diseases across the world. The Internet presence of neurosurgical units and surgeons can be guided by online users' interests to achieve high-quality, professional-endorsed patient education.