Journal of Pediatric Surgery: Effects of an automated social media strategy for knowledge dissemination

The Social Media Footprint of Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Programs: Where Do We Stand?

INTRODUCTION

Social media utilization is expanding within graduate medical education and academic surgery. This study aims to quantify the current social media footprint of pediatric surgery (PS) fellowship training programs.

METHODS

United States PS fellowship programs from the American Pediatric Surgical Association website and social media accounts on three platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) were identified. Authors quantified subject matter within public program content and compared PS social media utilization to other surgical training programs. A public Twitter survey was disseminated to evaluate recent PS applicant Twitter use and perceptions about content posted by programs.

RESULTS

Of 51 PS fellowship programs, 23 (45.1%) had active Twitter accounts, 2 (3.9%) had active Facebook accounts, and 1 (2.0%) had an active Instagram account. Cumulatively, 5162 organic posts were published across all 26 accounts (90.4% on Twitter). Most commonly posted content included research/conference presentations (31.3%) and faculty accolades (15.1%), while clinical/OR experience (3.6%), gender/ethnic diversity (2.4%) had the least content. Compared to other training programs, PS has lower utilization of Facebook (p < 0.001) and Instagram (p < 0.001), but similar Twitter utilization (p = 0.09). Twenty-four recent applicants responded to the public Twitter survey. Most (62.5%) used Twitter intentionally for recruitment and networking purposes when applying to fellowship. They expressed desire for increased content related to clinical/OR experiences, program ethnic/gender diversity and recruitment information.

CONCLUSION

Amongst PS training programs, Twitter is the most commonly utilized platform. Expanding Twitter usage to more programs and posting more varied content may facilitate opportunities for diverse applicant recruitment and serve as a platform to share clinical knowledge, which will ultimately move the needle towards growth and equity.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

Promoting Publications Through Plastic Surgery Journal Instagram Accounts: Is It Worth It?

PURPOSE

Journals are increasingly using social media to increase article engagement. We aim to determine the impact of Instagram promotion on, and identify social media tools that effectively enhance, plastic surgery article engagement and impact.

METHODS

Instagram accounts for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Annals of Plastic Surgery, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery were reviewed for posts published by February 8, 2022. Open access journal articles were excluded. Post caption word count and number of likes, tagged accounts, and hashtags were recorded. Inclusion of videos, article links, or author introductions was noted. All articles from journal issues published between the dates of the first and last posts promoting articles were reviewed. Altmetric data approximated article engagement. Citation numbers from the National Institutes of Health iCite tool approximated impact. Differences in engagement and impact of articles with and without Instagram promotion were compared by Mann-Whitney U tests. Univariate and multivariable regressions identified factors predictive of more engagement (Altmetric Attention Score, ≥5) and citations (≥7).

RESULTS

A total of 5037 articles were included, with 675 (13.4%) promoted on Instagram. Of posts featuring articles, 274 (40.6%) included videos, 469 (69.5%) included article links, and 123 included (18.2%) author introductions. Promoted articles had higher median Altmetric Attention Scores and citations (P < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, using more hashtags predicted higher article Altmetric Attention Scores (odds ratio [OR], 1.85; P = 0.002) and more citations (OR, 1.90; P < 0.001). Including article links (OR, 3.52; P < 0.001) and tagging more accounts (OR, 1.64; P = 0.022) predicted higher Altmetric Attention Scores. Including author introductions negatively predicted Altmetric Attention Scores (OR, 0.46; P < 0.001) and citations (OR, 0.65; P = 0.047). Caption word count had no significant impact on article engagement or impact.

CONCLUSIONS

Instagram promotion increases plastic surgery article engagement and impact. Journals should use more hashtags, tag more accounts, and include manuscript links to increase article metrics. We recommend that authors promote on journal social media to maximize article reach, engagement, and citations, which positively impacts research productivity with minimal additional effort in designing Instagram content.

Virtual Education in Pediatric Surgery during the COVID-19 Era: Facing and Overcoming Current Challenges

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted our way of living in an unprecedented manner. Medical professionals at all levels have been forced to adapt to the novel virus. The delivery of surgical services and the subsequent learning opportunities for surgical residents have especially been disrupted and the pediatric surgical community has not been exempted by this. This article highlights the challenges imposed by the pandemic and outlines the various learning modalities that can be implemented to ensure continued learning opportunities throughout the pandemic and beyond. Furthermore, it aims to show how the utilization and expansion of technologies maintain and further increase the communication, as well as the exchange of and access to knowledge among peers. Virtual education-, application-, and simulation-based learning and social media, as well as telemedicine and online conferences, will play a considerable role in the future of surgical specialties and surgical education.