Impact of social media on the continuous education of the general surgeon, a new experience, @Cirbosque: A Latin American example

Current insights on social media as a tool for the dissemination of research and education in surgery: a narrative review

The purpose of our narrative review is to summarize the utilization of social media (SoMe) platforms for research communication within the field of surgery. We searched the PubMed database for articles in the last decade that discuss the utilization of SoMe in surgery and then categorized the diverse purposes of SoMe. SoMe proved to be a powerful tool for disseminating articles. Employing strategic methods like visual abstracts enhances article citation rates, the impact factor, h-index, and Altmetric score (an emerging alternative metric that comprehensively and instantly quantifies the social impact of scientific papers). SoMe also proved valuable for surgical education, with online videos shared widely for surgical training. However, it is essential to acknowledge the associated risk of inconsistency in quality. Moreover, SoMe facilitates discussion on specific topics through hashtags or closed groups and is instrumental in recruiting surgeons, with over half of general surgery residency programs in the US efficiently leveraging these platforms to attract the attention of potential candidates. Thus, there is a wealth of evidence supporting the effective use of SoMe for surgeons. In the contemporary era where SoMe is widely utilized, surgeons should be well-versed in this evidence.

The impact of a dedicated social media strategy on enhancing surgical education

PURPOSE

Social media (SoMe) is increasingly important in surgical education and may be necessary in the current learning environment. Whilst expanding in use and applications, few studies detail the impact of SoMe on measurable outcomes. The goal of this study was to quantify the impact of a dedicated SoMe strategy on engagement metrics for surgical research.

METHODS

A retrospective review of a peer-reviewed surgical journal's Twitter microblog platform (@ColorectalDis) was performed from 6/2015 to 4/2021. A formal SoMe strategy was introduced in September 2018. Data were stratified into 2 time periods: pre-intervention (6-2015 to 9-2018) and post-SoMe intervention (9-2018 to 4-2021). The main outcome was the impact of the SoMe strategy on user engagement with the Twitter platform, journal, and traditional journal metrics. Twitter Analytics and Twitonomy were used to analyse engagement.

RESULTS

From conception to analysis, the microblog published 1198 original tweets, generating 5 million impressions and 231,000 engagements. Increased account activity (increased tweets published per month-5.51 vs 28.79; p < 0.01) was associated with significant engagement growth, including new monthly followers (213 vs 38; p < 0.01) and interactions with posted articles (4,096,167 vs 269,152; p < 0.01). Article downloads increased twenty-fold post-SoMe intervention (210,449 vs 10,934; p < 0.01), with significant increases in traditional journal metrics of new subscribers (+11%), article submissions (+24%), and impact factor (+0.9) (all p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

SoMe directly impacts traditional journal metrics in surgical research. By examining the patterns of user engagement between SoMe and journal sites, the growing beneficial impact of a structured social media strategy and SoMe as an educational tool is demonstrated.

Increasing opportunities for international surgeons

Social media has completely transformed communication among surgeons. Although we have learned a lot, we still have many challenges to resolve with these tools. Nevertheless, social media has opened many novel opportunities for the surgical community worldwide. Many of these opportunities would never be realized without social media tools, especially in low and middle-income countries. We will discuss the main tools and their applications for increasing opportunities for international surgeons.

Participation of latin american surgeons in twitter using the hashtag #SoMe4Surgery and #SoMe4IQLatAm

Background

In medicine, social networks contribute to the professional training because it is a way to improve the knowledge and skills of students, residents and specialists; additionally, these networks allow the dissemination of evidence. However, Latin American surgeons' influence within this social network is not highlighted. In this study, using the hashtags #SoMe4Surgery and #SoMe4IQLatAm, the participation of Latin American surgeons in Twitter is established.

Study Design

This is a prospective cross-sectional study of the academic tweets published in the period between October 13 and October 19, 2020, on Twitter by the academic accounts @Cirbosque and @MISIRG1 who are users of the social network Twitter in Latin America who participate in the network with the hashtags #SoMe4Surgery and #SoMe4IQLatAm with academic use.

Results

A total of 56 tweets and 665 retweets were analyzed. Male sex presents greater interaction, as well as Mondays and Tuesdays week days. Geolocation was recorded as 37.1% in Latin America and 17.6% in Europe. #SoMe4Surgery was mentioned in 31 tweets and generated 211,700 impressions and 25,557 interactions, and #SoMe4IQLatam was mentioned in 25 tweets and achieved 57,585 impressions and 21,901 interactions. A growth of the participation rate of 6.5% in @Cirbosque and 10.5% in @ MISIRG1 was estimated for 2021.

Conclusion

The use of social networks, particularly Twitter, in the surgeon community has proven to be a valuable tool during the last decade. The tweet that needs to be shared among more surgeons should be linked to the hashtag #SoMe4IQLatAm and #SoMe4Surgery and Twitter surgeon leaders mentions.

Social media in surgery: evolving role in research communication and beyond

PURPOSE

To present social media (SoMe) platforms for surgeons, how these are used, with what impact, and their roles for research communication.

METHODS

A narrative review based on a literature search regarding social media use, of studies and findings pertaining to surgical disciplines, and the authors' own experience.

RESULTS

Several social networking platforms for surgeons are presented to the reader. The more frequently used, i.e., Twitter, is presented with details of opportunities, specific fora for communication, presenting tips for effective use, and also some caveats to use. Details of how the surgical community evolved through the use of the hashtag #SoMe4Surgery are presented. The impact on gender diversity in surgery through important hashtags (from #ILookLikeASurgeon to #MedBikini) is discussed. Practical tips on generating tweets and use of visual abstracts are presented, with influence on post-production distribution of journal articles through "tweetorials" and "tweetchats." Findings from seminal studies on SoMe and the impact on traditional metrics (regular citations) and alternative metrics (Altmetrics, including tweets, retweets, news outlet mentions) are presented. Some concerns on misuse and SoMe caveats are discussed.

CONCLUSION

Over the last two decades, social media has had a huge impact on science dissemination, journal article discussions, and presentation of conference news. Immediate and real-time presentation of studies, articles, or presentations has flattened hierarchy for participation, debate, and engagement. Surgeons should learn how to use novel communication technology to advance the field and further professional and public interaction.

El estado de la investigación en educación en cirugía general en Colombia (2000-2020): un análisis bibliométrico

Introducción. Se desconoce el estado de la investigación en educación médica en cirugía general (IEMC) en Colombia en el siglo XXI. El objetivo de esta revisión bibliométrica de la literatura es realizar un análisis de las publicaciones relacionadas con la IEMC en Colombia a partir del año 2000. Métodos. Se incluyeron artículos originales, escritos en español o inglés, publicados por grupos de investigación que cuentan al menos con un investigador colombiano como autor principal o coautor. Se definieron variables demográficas e indicadores bibliométricos para cada estudio y autor. Resultados. Un total de 63 estudios fueron incluidos. Estas publicaciones se enfocaron predominantemente en investigación sobre bienestar, enseñanza clínica y simulación a nivel de postgrado. El 36 % de los artículos sobre IEMC fueron publicados en revistas sin indexación (ISI/SCOPUS); 13 artículos (20,6 %) fueron publicados en revistas en el cuartil 1 (Q1). El promedio de citas por artículo fue 9,3. Discusión. La producción intelectual en educación en cirugía en Colombia tiene bajo impacto a nivel internacional. Los hallazgos encontrados pueden ser utilizados para organizar y priorizar la investigación en educación quirúrgica en el país.

A novel structure for online surgical undergraduate teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The Covid-19 pandemic necessitated the delivery of online higher education. Online learning is a novel experience for medical education in Sri Lanka. A novel approach to undergraduate surgical learning was taken up in an attempt to improve the interest amongst the students in clinical practice while maximizing the limited contact time.

METHOD

Online learning activity was designed involving medical students from all stages and multi consultant panel discussions. The discussions were designed to cover each topic from basic sciences to high-level clinical management in an attempt to stimulate the student interest in clinical medicine. Online meeting platform with free to use basic plan and a social media platform were used in combination to communicate with the students. The student feedback was periodically assessed for individual topics as well as for general outcome. Lickert scales and numeric scales were used to acquire student agreement on the desired learning outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 1047 student responses for 7 questionnaires were analysed. During a 6-week period, 24 surgical topics were discussed with 51 contact hours. Eighty-seven per cent definitely agreed (highest agreement) with the statement 'students benefitted from the discussions'. Over 95% have either participated for all or most sessions. A majority of the respondents (83.4%) 'definitely agreed' that the discussions helped to improve their clinical sense. Of the total respondents, 79.3% definitely agreed that the discussions helped to build an interest in clinical medicine. Around 90% agreed that both exam-oriented and clinical practice-oriented topics were highly important and relevant. Most widely raised concerns were the poor Internet connectivity and limitation of access to the meeting platform.

CONCLUSION

Online teaching with a novel structure is feasible and effective in a resource-limited setting. Students agree that it could improve clinical interest while meeting the expected learning outcomes.