Social Media and Advancement of Women Physicians

Perception and Usage of Social Media Among Women in Orthopaedics

INTRODUCTION

The use of social media for marketing, education, and networking has increased among orthopaedic surgeons. Social media has played an important role in supporting women physicians and trainees, by allowing connections to be made across stages of training and geographic borders. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of female orthopaedic surgeons, fellows, residents, and medical students regarding their usage of social media.

METHODS

A 22-question anonymous survey regarding the perceptions of social media usage was distributed to 1,189 female members of Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society via e-mail in July 2022. Data collection lasted a total of 4 weeks, from July to August 2022. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

A total of 207 responses were received (17% response rate). The respondents comprised 90 orthopaedic surgeons (43%), 60 medical students (29%), 49 residents (24%), and eight fellows (4%). Ninety one percent of participants (189 of 207) reported having a social media account, with 23% (43 of 189) having separate 'personal' and 'professional' accounts. Less than half of all participants reported altering (51 of 189; 27%) or deleting (20 of 189; 11%) profiles for interviews. Fifty three percent of participants (109 of 207) 'agreed' that social media is a good way to network. Twenty eight percent of participants (58 of 207) feared gaining attention to their profile when engaging with professional accounts. Forty percent of participants (62 of 207) agreed that personal life events on social media can be considered unprofessional and should be kept on a private profile.

CONCLUSION

Social media can be used to network professionally within orthopaedic surgery, connecting women at different levels of training. Although concerns about professionalism of social media accounts exist, this may be mitigated by maintaining a separate private account from a public, professional profile. Future guidelines regarding social media usage and how to maintain professionalism while being active on social media may be beneficial.

His opportunity, her burden: A narrative critical review of why women decline academic opportunities

OBJECTIVES

This paper stems from a desire to deepen our own understanding of why women might 'say no' when allies and sponsors offer or create opportunities for advancement, leadership or recognition. The resulting disparity between representation by men and women in leadership positions, invited keynote speakers and publication counts in academic medicine is a stubborn and wicked problem that requires a synthesis of knowledge across multidisciplinary literature. Acknowledging the complexity of this topic, we selected a narrative critical review methodology to explore reasons why one man's opportunity might be a woman's burden in academic medicine.

METHODS

We engaged with an iterative process of identifying, reviewing and interpreting literature from Psychology (cognitive, industrial and educational), Sociology, Health Professions Education and Business, placing no restrictions on context or year of publication. Knowledge synthesis and interpretation were guided by our combined expertise, lived experience, consultations with experts outside the author team and these guiding questions: (1) Why might women have less time for career advancement opportunities? (2) Why do women have less time for research and leadership? (3) How are these disparities maintained?

RESULTS

Turning down an opportunity may be a symptom of a much larger issue. The power of social expectations, culture and gender stereotypes remains a resistant force against calls for action. Consequently, women disproportionately take on other tasks that are not as well recognised. This disparity is maintained through social consequences for breaking with firmly entrenched stereotypes.

CONCLUSIONS

Popular strategies like 'lean into opportunities', 'fake it till you make it' and 'overcome your imposter syndrome' suggest that women are standing in their own way. Critically, these axioms ignore powerful systemic barriers that shape these choices and opportunities. We offer strategies that allies, sponsors and peers can implement to offset the power of stereotypes.

System-Wide Change Is Essential to Value the Contributions of Women in Medicine and Science

The persistent and pervasive gender gap in health care is a fact backed by data, science, and evidence. This editorial aims to describe some of the challenges that continue to persist. Many of the strategies outlined can be implemented both locally and nationally to effect meaningful change and work toward closing the existing gender gap in health care.

Social Media: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The use of social media platforms in a professional capacity has grown and presents unique opportunities for women surgeons. Women surgeons face unique obstacles and challenges compared with their male counterparts. Social media has helped women surgeons create an online community and has provided opportunities for mentorship and professional advancement. In addition, it has helped break down traditional constructs of what it means to be a surgeon and allowed the medical community and public to view images of a modern surgeon. Social media has played an important role in continually increasing efforts to diversify the field of surgery and break down traditional stereotypes associated with surgeons. However, there are some downsides of social media that women surgeons need to be aware of, particularly, the risk of harassment, criticism, and potentially harmful online reviews.

Description of the Novel Networking, Open Discussion, Engagement, and Self-Promotion (NODES) Framework for the Advancement of Women Physicians on Social Media

The Networking, Open Discussion, Engagement, and Self-Promotion (NODES) framework is a strategy that women in medicine can deploy at conferences to broaden their professional networks and engage with colleagues. The NODES framework was designed and implemented for use at the Women in Medicine Summit, an annual conference that unites women to combat gender inequality in medicine. Intentional use of social media at conferences using the NODES framework by women in medicine can increase the visibility of research projects and may lead to speaking engagements and awards.

Analysis of Social Media Posts That Promote Women Surgeons

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to analyze the content, interaction, and use of posts related to women surgeons on Instagram and Twitter, with specific analysis of female orthopedic surgeon related content.

DESIGN

A retrospective search of Instagram and Twitter from March 14, 2022, to June 16, 2022 was conducted using the hashtags, #womeninortho, #womeninorthopedics, #ilooklikeasurgeon, #womensurgeons, and #womeninsurgery. Additional searches were performed on Twitter that consisted of #orthotwitter in combination with #ilooklikeasurgeon, #womensurgeons, and #womeninsurgery. Once identified, posts were analyzed for the hashtag used, number of likes, number of comments, number of retweets (Twitter only), source type, type of post, and medical specialty. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Over the 3-month period, a total of 3248 posts were identified that included 1669 Instagram (50.5%) and 1639 Twitter (49.6%) posts. The majority of overall posts and Instagram posts were made by general (32.3%, 28.9%), plastic (12.7%, 22.1%), and orthopedic surgeons (8.3%, 7.8%). On Twitter, general surgeons tweeted the most (35.6%), followed by orthopaedic surgeons (8.8%). Instagram had a greater mean number of and comments per post than Twitter. For orthopedic hashtags, #womeninortho was used more than #womeninorthopedics (78.0% vs. 22.0%, p < 0.001). On #orthotwitter, #ilooklikeasurgeon was used more than #womeninsurgery and #womensurgeons (75.0% vs. 23.6% vs. 1.4%, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that both Instagram and Twitter are regularly used to promote women surgeons. Instagram is the preferred platform of physicians for promoting women surgeons via personal and outcome-based content, while Twitter is used more by students and primarily includes outcome-based posts. Female orthopedic surgeons should continue to use the preferred hashtag, #womeninortho, to maximize the reach of this content. By promoting women surgeons on social media, practicing surgeons can converse, collaborate, and provide mentorship to the next generation of surgeons.

Leadership Inequity, Burnout, and Lower Engagement of Women in Medicine

Gender parity has been reached in graduation rates from medical school, yet women in medicine continue to face obstacles in promotion, compensation and opportunities, leading to leadership inequity, higher burnout and lower engagement. These complex issues with gender are just one aspect of the wide challenges related to diversity, equity and inclusion among medical professionals. While there are no "one size fits all" approaches, psychologists are well positioned to lead efforts related to promoting leadership equity, reducing burnout and raising engagement because of their training in communication skills, programmatic development and empathetic listening. This paper details several evidence-based efforts in which psychologists can lead in these ongoing issues for women in medicine.

Navigating Personal and Professional Development Through Social Media in Ophthalmology

Background

Although social media use among physicians skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, its role for networking, mentorship, and support among ophthalmologists remains unknown. The objective of this study was to elucidate how ophthalmologists use social media for navigating challenges related to personal and professional development.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional survey study conducted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. A 40-item questionnaire investigating the usage of social media was developed and distributed to active social media users in ophthalmology including trainees and practitioners from November 2020 to December 2020 via social media channels. Quantitative responses were analyzed using descriptive and basic statistics, while a thematic analysis was conducted to examine the qualitative responses.

Results

One hundred and forty-nine respondents (67% women) completed the survey, with 56% of participants between the ages of 25–35 years old. Women were more likely to report experiencing workplace discrimination (p < 0.005) and work-life imbalance (p < 0.05) compared to men, and social media was found to be useful in addressing those challenges in addition to parenting and mentorship (p < 0.005 and p < 0.001, respectively). Compared to their older counterparts, younger ophthalmologists (<45 years old) cited more challenges with practice management (p < 0.005) and turned to social media for corresponding guidance (p < 0.05). Compared to late career ophthalmologists, trainees were more likely to report difficulties with career development (p < 0.05), practice management (p < 0.0001), and financial planning (p < 0.05), and found social media beneficial for learning financial literacy (p < 0.05). A qualitative analysis of the free-response texts found both positive and negative viewpoints of social media use in ophthalmology.

Conclusion

Social media is an invaluable tool for enhancing professional and personal growth for ophthalmologists, particularly for women, trainees, and younger surgeons through education and community-building. Future directions include exploring how social media can be used to improve mentorship, outreach, and training in ophthalmology.

Women Physicians in Transition Learning to Navigate the Pipeline from Early to Mid-Career: Protocol for a Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

Women physicians face unique obstacles while progressing through their careers, navigating career advancement and seeking balance between professional and personal responsibilities. Systemic changes, along with individual and institutional changes, are needed to overcome obstacles perpetuating physician gender inequities. Developing a deeper understanding of women physicians' experiences during important transition points could reveal both barriers and opportunities for recruitment, retention, and promotion, and inform best practices developed based on these experiences.

OBJECTIVE

The aim is to learn from the experiences and perspectives of women physicians as they transition from early to mid-career, then develop best practices that can serve to support women physicians as they advance through their careers.

METHODS

Semistructured interviews were conducted with women physicians in the United States in 2020 and 2021. Eligibility criteria included self-identification as a woman who is in the process of transitioning or who recently transitioned from early to mid-career stage. Purposeful sampling facilitated identification of participants who represented diversity in career pathway, practice setting, specialty, and race/ethnicity. Each participant was offered compensation for their participation. Interviews were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed. Interview questions were open-ended, exploring participants' perceptions of this transition. Qualitative thematic analysis will be performed. We will use an open coding and grounded theory approach on interview transcripts.

RESULTS

The Ethics Review Committee of the Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences at Maastricht University approved the study; Stanford University expedited review approved the study; and the University of California, San Diego certified the study as exempt from review. Twelve in-depth interviews of 50-100 minutes in duration were completed. Preliminary analyses indicate one key theme is a tension resulting from finite time divided between demands from a physician career and demands from family needs. In turn, this results in constant boundary control between these life domains that are inextricable and seemingly competing against each other within a finite space; family needs impinge on planned career goals, if the boundary between them is not carefully managed. To remedy this, women sought resources to help them redistribute home responsibilities, freeing themselves to have more time, especially for children. Women similarly sought resources to help with career advancement, although not with regard to time directly, but to first address foundational knowledge gaps about career milestones and how to achieve them.

CONCLUSIONS

Preliminary results provide initial insights about how women identify or activate a career shift and how they marshaled resources and support to navigate barriers they faced. Further analyses are continuing as of March 2022 and are expected to be completed by June 2022. The dissemination plan includes peer-reviewed open-access journal publication of the results and presentation at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association's Women Physicians Section.

Social Media: Flattening Hierarchies for Women and Black, Indigenous, People Of Color (BIPOC) to Enter the Room Where It Happens

Social media platforms are widely used to connect people across multiple settings, including country of origin, profession, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, seniority, and training. Groups that have been marginalized or historically excluded from decision-making encounters may lack formal mentors/sponsors because of a lack of representation of women and Black, Indigenous, People Of Color (BIPOC) in senior leadership positions. This can serve as a barrier to professional advancement at all stages of career development. Identifying and connecting with these potential mentors/sponsors outside of one's institutional space can be challenging. For this reason, leveraging social media to develop these professional relationships through flattened hierarchies can allow for professional networking beyond traditional mechanisms. Here we aim to describe how individuals can connect through social media to advance their careers and scientific and clinical expertise, advocate for communities, and provide high-quality communication to the public.

Mentoring Underrepresented Minority Physician-Scientists to Success

As the nation seeks to recruit and retain physician-scientists, gaps remain in understanding and addressing mitigatable challenges to the success of faculty from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds. The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists program, implemented in 2015 at 10 academic medical centers in the United States, seeks to retain physician-scientists at risk of leaving science because of periods of extraordinary family caregiving needs, hardships that URM faculty-especially those who identify as female-are more likely to experience. At the annual Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists program directors conference in 2018, program directors-21% of whom identify as URM individuals and 13% as male-addressed issues that affect URM physician-scientists in particular. Key issues that threaten the retention of URM physician-scientists were identified through focused literature reviews; institutional environmental scans; and structured small- and large-group discussions with program directors, staff, and participants. These issues include bias and discrimination, personal wealth differential, the minority tax (i.e., service burdens placed on URM faculty who represent URM perspectives on committees and at conferences), lack of mentorship training, intersectionality and isolation, concerns about confirming stereotypes, and institutional-level factors. The authors present recommendations for how to create an environment in which URM physician-scientists can expect equitable opportunities to thrive, as institutions demonstrate proactive allyship and remove structural barriers to success. Recommendations include providing universal training to reduce interpersonal bias and discrimination, addressing the consequences of the personal wealth gap through financial counseling and benefits, measuring the service faculty members provide to the institution as advocates for URM faculty issues and compensating them appropriately, supporting URM faculty who wish to engage in national leadership programs, and sustaining institutional policies that address structural and interpersonal barriers to inclusive excellence.

Leveraging Social Media and Web Presence to Discuss and Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Radiology

PURPOSE

This article seeks to better understand how radiology residency programs leverage their social media presences during the 2020 National Residency Match Program (NRMP) application cycle to engage with students and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion to prospective residency applicants.

METHODS

We used publicly available information to determine how broad a presence radiology programs have across specific platforms (Twitter [Twitter, Inc, San Francisco, California], Facebook [Facebook, Inc, Menlo Park, California], Instagram [Facebook, Inc], and website pages) as well as what strategies these programs use to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

RESULTS

During the 2020 NRMP application cycle, radiology residency programs substantially increased their social media presence across the platforms we examined. We determined that 29.3% (39 of 133), 58.9% (43 of 73), and 29.55% (13 of 44) of programs used Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, respectively; these accounts were established after an April 1, 2020, advisory statement from the NRMP. Program size and university affiliation were correlated with the degree of social media presence. Those programs using social media to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion used a broad but similar approach across programs and platforms.

CONCLUSION

The events of 2020 expedited the growth of social media among radiology residency programs, which subsequently ushered in a new medium for conversations about representation in medicine. However, the effectiveness of this medium to promote meaningful expansion of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of radiology remains to be seen.

More than grit: growing and sustaining physician-scientists in obstetrics and gynecology

Obstetricians know the statistics-1 out of every 10 babies is born premature; preeclampsia affects 1 in 25 pregnant people; the United States has the highest rate of maternal mortality in the developed world. Yet, physicians and scientists still do not fully understand the biology of normal pregnancy, let alone what causes these complications. Obstetrics and gynecology-trained physician-scientists are uniquely positioned to fill critical knowledge gaps by addressing clinically-relevant problems through fundamental research and interpreting insights from basic and translational studies in the clinical context. Within our specialty, however, physician-scientists are relatively uncommon. Inadequate guidance, lack of support and community, and structural barriers deter fellows and early stage faculty from pursuing the physician-scientist track. One approach to help cultivate the next generation of physician-scientists in obstetrics and gynecology is to demystify the process and address the common barriers that contribute to the attrition of early stage investigators. Here, we review major challenges and propose potential pathways forward in the areas of mentorship, obtaining protected research time and resources, and ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion, from our perspective as early stage investigators in maternal-fetal medicine. We discuss the roles of early stage investigators and leaders at the institutional and national level in the collective effort to retain and grow our physician-scientist workforce. We aim to provide a framework for early stage investigators initiating their research careers and a starting point for discussion with academic stakeholders. We cannot afford to lose the valuable contributions of talented individuals due to modifiable factors or forfeit our voices as advocates for the issues that impact pregnant populations.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on a Physician Group's WhatsApp Chat: Qualitative Content Analysis

Background

Social media has emerged as an effective means of information sharing and community building among health professionals. The utility of these platforms is likely heightened during times of health system crises and global uncertainty. Studies have demonstrated that physicians’ social media platforms serve to bridge the gap of information between on-the-ground experiences of health care workers and emerging knowledge.

Objective

The primary aim of this study was to characterize the use of a physician WhatsApp (WhatsApp LLC) group chat during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Through the lens of the social network theory, we performed a qualitative content analysis of the posts of a women physician WhatsApp group located in the United Arab Emirates between February 1, 2020, and May 31, 2020, that is, during the initial surge of COVID-19 cases.

Results

There were 6101 posts during the study period, which reflected a 2.6-fold increase in platform use when compared with platform use in the year prior. A total of 8 themes and 9 subthemes were described. The top 3 uses of the platform were requests for information (posts: 2818/6101, 46.2%), member support and promotion (posts: 988/6101, 16.2%), and information sharing (posts: 896/6101, 14.7%). A substantial proportion of posts were related to COVID-19 (2653/6101, 43.5%), with the most popular theme being requests for logistical (nonmedical) information. Among posts containing COVID-19–related medical information, it was notable that two-thirds (571/868, 65.8%) of these posts were from public mass media or unverified sources.

Conclusions

Health crises can potentiate the use of social media platforms among physicians. This reflects physicians’ tendency to turn to these platforms for information sharing and community building purposes. However, important questions remain regarding the accuracy and credibility of the information shared. Our findings suggest that the training of physicians in social media practices and information dissemination may be needed.

Social Media as a Tool to Advance Women in Cardiology: Paving the Way for Gender Equality and Diversity

Although the number of women in the field of medicine continues to rise, the discrimination against women and the gender inequity in both leadership roles and salary remains persistent. The gender divide is particularly prominent in male-dominated specialties, such as cardiology. Social media help foster global connections and disseminate information quickly and worldwide. The rise of social media has influenced how female physicians communicate and has shown its benefits particularly within the field of cardiology. Virtual platforms are important avenues where female physicians have united for greater representation of gender issues and advocacy efforts. Social media further amplify gender-equality activism by facilitating the conversations surrounding gender equity and proposing solutions to self-identified issues by the virtual community of female physicians and their allies. In this review, we discuss the role of social media as tools for advancing women in the field of cardiology and fostering gender equality and diversity.

The Women Physiatrists Facebook Group: Evaluating the Value of a Private Online Community

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated Women Physiatry Facebook group members' perceptions of the value of an online community. The authors hypothesized that members would find the group protective against burnout, and early career participants would be more likely to use the group for education and networking. This was a cross-sectional survey study of women physicians in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation primarily in the United States. The survey consisted of 51 questions covering demographic information, work/life satisfaction, and physician burnout.There were 310 respondents. Those at an earlier career stage accessed the Women Physiatrists Facebook page significantly more often (P = 0.038). Most respondents were neutral regarding the group reducing burnout. Across all career stages, the group was most often used as an educational tool to review patient cases (82.2%). Mid- to late-career members were more likely to use the group to learn about maintenance of certification or continuing medical education requirements (P = 0.019) and searching for a physiatrist in another part of the county (P = 0.016). This study suggests that closed Facebook groups can be useful educational tools across career stages.

Emergency Physician Twitter Use in the COVID-19 Pandemic as a Potential Predictor of Impending Surge: Retrospective Observational Study

Background

The early conversations on social media by emergency physicians offer a window into the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective

This retrospective observational study of emergency physician Twitter use details how the health care crisis has influenced emergency physician discourse online and how this discourse may have use as a harbinger of ensuing surge.

Methods

Followers of the three main emergency physician professional organizations were identified using Twitter’s application programming interface. They and their followers were included in the study if they identified explicitly as US-based emergency physicians. Statuses, or tweets, were obtained between January 4, 2020, when the new disease was first reported, and December 14, 2020, when vaccination first began. Original tweets underwent sentiment analysis using the previously validated Valence Aware Dictionary and Sentiment Reasoner (VADER) tool as well as topic modeling using latent Dirichlet allocation unsupervised machine learning. Sentiment and topic trends were then correlated with daily change in new COVID-19 cases and inpatient bed utilization.

Results

A total of 3463 emergency physicians produced 334,747 unique English-language tweets during the study period. Out of 3463 participants, 910 (26.3%) stated that they were in training, and 466 of 902 (51.7%) participants who provided their gender identified as men. Overall tweet volume went from a pre-March 2020 mean of 481.9 (SD 72.7) daily tweets to a mean of 1065.5 (SD 257.3) daily tweets thereafter. Parameter and topic number tuning led to 20 tweet topics, with a topic coherence of 0.49. Except for a week in June and 4 days in November, discourse was dominated by the health care system (45,570/334,747, 13.6%). Discussion of pandemic response, epidemiology, and clinical care were jointly found to moderately correlate with COVID-19 hospital bed utilization (Pearson r=0.41), as was the occurrence of “covid,” “coronavirus,” or “pandemic” in tweet texts (r=0.47). Momentum in COVID-19 tweets, as demonstrated by a sustained crossing of 7- and 28-day moving averages, was found to have occurred on an average of 45.0 (SD 12.7) days before peak COVID-19 hospital bed utilization across the country and in the four most contributory states.

Conclusions

COVID-19 Twitter discussion among emergency physicians correlates with and may precede the rising of hospital burden. This study, therefore, begins to depict the extent to which the ongoing pandemic has affected the field of emergency medicine discourse online and suggests a potential avenue for understanding predictors of surge.

Social Media as a Means to Disseminate and Advocate Cardiovascular Research: Why, How, and Best Practices

The use of Twitter or other social media platforms for research can transcend current limitations in the dissemination of research and present new opportunities for research networking by connecting researchers, clinicians, policymakers, the public, and other stakeholders on a global scale. As social media influence continues to expand, it becomes increasingly important for cardiovascular researchers to employ social media strategies to increase the impact of their research work, for the ultimate goal of improved outcomes for patients living with or at risk for cardiovascular diseases. Altmetrics are novel metrics that track the attention that scholarly outputs are receiving in non-traditional sources such as in the news, blogs, and social media posts. These alternative metrics record research dissemination beyond traditional journal citation indices, while also predicting and even promoting future citations. This review outlines various methods of how social media can be used to disseminate research, guidance on how to develop a social media portfolio for consideration of academic promotion, and some best practices for promoting one’s research work.

Why Do Physicians Choose Pain as a Specialty?

OBJECTIVE

Numerous forces shape the practice of pain management: scientific advances, technical advances, societal expectations, public health crises, reimbursement factors, and the parameters of who gets trained and what motivates the trainees. In this observational study, we sought to determine expressed motivations for entering the subspecialty of pain management, and in particular whether applicants were more interested in procedural skills (our hypothesis) or rehabilitative and cognitive practices.

METHODS

We analyzed the personal statements of 142 applicants to the University of Minnesota's pain medicine fellowship program. In addition to those themes, the personal statements were scrutinized for other themes such as interest in teaching and research. Comprehensive vs interventional/procedural interests were coded by a group of four research assistants who were trained using practice essays until they achieved high interrater reliability (alpha > 0.8). Two of the researchers coded for additional themes on a two-point scale indicating presence or absence of a particular theme. When they did not agree, a third researcher broke the tie. Theme prevalence was compared by specialty and gender.

RESULTS

Residents expressed interest in interventional and comprehensive pain practice without significant differences; however, there were specialty and gender differences in other themes such as teaching, research, and leadership in program development.

CONCLUSIONS

If pain specialty training is going to meet the needs of prospective residents, patients, and society, we should do more to attract women and neurology and psychiatry residents. We should include more opportunities for research and the flexibility to educate trainees who may not pursue a procedural practice.

Instacash: The Ethics of Leveraging Medical Student Status on Social Media

Some medical students leverage their medical student status for profit as social media influencers on platforms such as Instagram. Depending on the size of their following and the brand they are promoting, students can make thousands of dollars per year by advertising products ranging from scrubs to protein powder to mattresses. Yet, they receive few tools as part of their education to help them understand how to reconcile their professional obligations with a desire to generate an income. After examining the potential benefits and harms of social media use, this article considers the possibility of medical student financial gain from being an influencer in light of seasoned physicians' own efforts to profit from industry alliances. Through both historical and contemporary lenses, the authors consider the tension between doctors as healers and moneymakers, before concluding with practical and philosophical approaches for guiding medical student influencers.

Gender interactions in Twitter and medical education: How is nephrology doing?

Gender inequities negatively impact productivity and career advancement for women. Social media platforms like Twitter can be used to achieve greater parity and address underrepresentation by providing a medium for education, research and mentorship; however, it's unknown how it may contribute to gender inequity. Our aim is to examine gender interactions during a nephrology medical conference.

Women in Cardiology Twitter Network: An Analysis of a Global Professional Virtual Community From 2016 to 2019

Background Social media is an effective channel for the advancement of women physicians; however, its use by women in cardiology has not been systematically studied. Our study seeks to characterize the current Women in Cardiology Twitter network. Methods and Results Six women-specific cardiology Twitter hashtags were analyzed: #ACCWIC (American College of Cardiology Women in Cardiology), #AHAWIC (American Heart Association Women in Cardiology), #ilooklikeacardiologist, #SCAIWIN (Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions Women in Innovations), #WomeninCardiology, and #WomeninEP (Women in Electrophysiology). Twitter data from 2016 to 2019 were obtained from Symplur Signals. Quantitative and descriptive content analyses were performed. The Women in Cardiology Twitter network generated 48 236 tweets, 266 180 903 impressions, and 12 485 users. Tweets increased by 706% (from 2083 to 16 780), impressions by 207% (from 26 755 476 to 82 080 472), and users by 440% (from 796 to 4300), including a 471% user increase internationally. The network generated 6530 (13%) original tweets and 43 103 (86%) amplification tweets. Most original and amplification tweets were authored by women (81% and 62%, respectively) and women physicians (76% and 52%, respectively), with an increase in original and amplification tweets authored by academic women physicians (98% and 109%, respectively) and trainees (390% and 249%, respectively) over time. Community building, professional development, and gender advocacy were the most common tweet contents over the study period. Community building was the most common tweet category for #ACCWIC, #AHAWIC, #ilooklikeacardiologist, #SCAIWIN, and #WomeninCardiology, whereas professional development was most common for #WomeninEP. Conclusions The Women in Cardiology Twitter network has grown immensely from 2016 to 2019, with women physicians as the driving contributors. This network has become an important channel for community building, professional development, and gender advocacy discussions in an effort to advance women in cardiology.

Physician wellness in allergy and immunology: Personal resiliency

OBJECTIVE

Physician burnout and wellness are vital and current issues in medicine, including allergy and immunology. Resilience involves the ability to rebound from personal and professional adversities. Improving individual resilience can be used to combat many of these stresses.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed database and the worldwide web were searched for articles on physician wellness and resilience.

STUDY SELECTIONS

Peer-reviewed scholarly review articles, peer-reviewed scientific research articles, and articles from internet websites on wellness and resilience were utilized as study selections.

RESULTS

Physicians deal with many occupational stresses, including bureaucratic tasks, employment change, discrimination, difficult personalities, financial issues, and retirement. Personal stresses may include marital or relationship issues, loss of a family member, and mental and physical conditions. A variety of techniques can be used to improve personal resilience. These include addressing individual mental and physical health care issues; focusing on adequate sleep, nutrition, and exercise; maintaining a positive and hopeful outlook; addressing spirituality; and adding daily humor.

CONCLUSION

As we address our own wellness and improve our resilience as physicians, the healthier we become and the better we can advocate for our patients and our specialty of allergy and immunology.

Internal Medicine Physicians and Social media: Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes

Objective

Increasing adoption of social media have revolutionized communications between individuals, groups, and organizations This research study was designed to assess the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of internal medicine physicians’ awareness and engagement with social media (sometimes referred to as #SoMe) within the digital landscape of healthcare delivery.

Methods

An audience-response survey focused on social media “Social media in Healthcare: Physician Survey,” was administered during the “A Systematic Approach to Medically Unexplained Symptoms” continuing medical education conference. The Conference took place between August 22, 2019 and August 24, 2019. Data was collected on August 23, 2019. A range of 103 (59.5%) to 112 (64.7%) of the total 173 attendees participated in this cross-sectional audience-response survey, depending on the questions answered.

Results

Most responders were between the ages of 35 and 65 years (79.6%) and female (60.2%). A majority of responders were aware of social media terminology (88.7%), and many had used it personally (46.7%), but only 12% knew how to use social media to search medical topics, 18% used it to network professionally and most (68.9%) had a distrust of social media when it came to the protection of their privacy or their patients’ privacy. Overall, about 29.6% indicated an interest in future continued medical education focused on social media (and 27.4% were neutral).

Conclusions

Approximately half of the responders used social media but far less engaged its platforms for professional use likely due to privacy related concerns. Distance from academic institutions, where professional social media use is more common likely, played a role in aversion. Awareness of social media’s role in healthcare has increased among physicians in practice, however their participation and knowledge of opportunities remains limited.

Leading by Design: Lessons for the Future From 25 Years of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women

The Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women is designed to promote the careers of senior female leaders in academic health care in a way that ultimately seeks to transform culture and promote gender equity far beyond the careers of its participants. In an era of increased awareness of gender inequity within academic medicine, the longevity of the ELAM program raises several important questions. First, why is such a program still needed? Second, what exactly does it do, and what has been its influence on its participants and beyond? And third, what lessons can ELAM's example provide to help guide the medical profession as it strives to promote gender equity in the field? In this Invited Commentary, the authors seek to answer these questions from the perspective of a recent program participant and the current program director. The authors review the evidence that identifies how women, even today, face accumulating disadvantage over the course of their academic careers, stemming from repeated encounters with powerful unconscious biases and stereotypes, societal expectations for a gendered division of domestic labor, and still-present overt discrimination and sexual harassment. They describe ELAM's approach, which builds the knowledge and skills of the women who participate in the program, while also intentionally raising their visibility within their home institutions so that they have opportunities to share with institutional leaders what they have learned in ways that not only promote their own careers but also support gender equity in the broader environment. The authors conclude by offering thoughts on how ELAM's model may be leveraged in the future, ideally in partnership with the numerous professional societies, funding agencies, and other organizations that are committed to accelerating the rate of progress toward gender equity at all levels of academic medicine.

Choosing the new normal for surgical education using alternative platforms

The traditional methods for surgical education and professional development are changing, from a variety of external factors. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the pace innovative alternative tools are introduced into clinical practice, creating a new normal for teaching and training. In this new normal is the challenge to create durable changes for the future of surgical education. Social media (SoMe), a tool that uses electronic communications and applications to allow users create and share information in dynamic ways, can meet this challenge. SoMe is reshaping how we communicate and learn, and offers great benefits for effective, individualized surgical education. The limits for SoMe appear endless, and elements have already help establish digital surgery to help improve the precision and outcomes of surgery. As we work to define the new normal in surgical education and professional development, SoMe digital surgery will be critical for continued growth and progress.

An introduction and guide to becoming a social media savvy nephrologist

The use of social media has increased over the last several decades, with ∼72% of the US adult population indicating the use of social networking platforms. Expansion of social media use beyond personal reasons now includes professional uses. This growth is especially true in medicine—and specifically nephrology. An enhanced online presence has the potential to make positive contributions to professional development, education and collaborations, potentially opening doors to academic opportunities. With a growing number of online platforms, resources and conversations, it is natural for one to feel overwhelmed and ultimately avoid social media. We discuss the benefits of social media engagement for nephrologists and provide a practical guide on how they can harness social media professionally and effectively. With an understanding of the basics, existing resources and avoidance of potential pitfalls, physicians can learn to use social media and join the global nephrology community.

Is the American College of Surgeons Online Communities a safe and useful venue to ask for surgical advice?

BACKGROUND

Many surgeons rely on the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Community Forums for advice on managing complex patients. Our objective was to assess the safety and usefulness of advice provided on the most popular surgical forum.

METHODS

Overall, 120 consecutive, deidentified clinical threads were extracted from the General Surgery community in reverse chronological order. Three groups of three surgeons (mixed academic and community perspectives) evaluated the 120 threads for unsafe or dangerous posts. Positive and negative controls for safe and unsafe answers were included in 20 threads, and reviewers were blinded to their presence. Reviewers were free to access all online and professional resources.

RESULTS

There were 855 unique responses (median 7, 2-15 responses per thread) to the 120 clinical threads/scenarios. The review teams correctly identified all positive and negative controls for safety. While 58(43.3%) of threads contained unsafe advice, the majority (33, 56.9%) were corrected. Reviewers felt that a there was a standard of care response for 62/120 of the threads of which 50 (80.6%) were provided by the responses. Of the 855 responses, 107 (12.5%) were considered unsafe/dangerous.

CONCLUSION

The ACS Community Forums are generally a safe and useful resource for surgeons seeking advice for challenging cases. While unsafe or dangerous advice is not uncommon, other surgeons typically correct it. When utilizing the forums, advice should be taken as a congregate, and any single recommendation should be approached with healthy skepticism. However, social media such as the ACS Forums is self-regulating and can be an appropriate method for surgeons to communicate challenging problems.

#Cleftlip/Palate: What Is the World Talking About?

Objective:

Studies have begun analyzing how the world converses on social media platforms about medical/surgical topics. This study’s objective was to examine how cleft lip and palate, two of the most common birth defects in the world, are discussed on the social media platform Twitter. No study to date has analyzed this topic.

Methods:

Tweets were identified using any of the following: cleft, cleft lip, cleft palate, #cleft, #cleftlip, #cleftpalate. Eight months between 2017 and 2018 were analyzed.

Main Outcome Measures:

The primary outcome was the tweet subject matter. Secondary outcomes were author characteristics, tweet engagement, multimedia, and tweet accuracy

Results:

A total of 1222 tweets were included. #Cleft was the most common hashtag (71%), and it was significantly associated with more retweets ( P = .03). Twenty-seven countries tweeted, with the United States (34%) and India (27%) producing the most. Charities (36%), hospitals (14%), and physicians (13%) were the most common authors. Over three-quarters of tweets were self-promotional. The top content included charity information (22%) and patients’ cleft stories (14%). Tweets about patient safety/care and surgical service trips generated the most engagement. The accuracy of educational tweets was 38% low accuracy and 1% inaccurate. One hundred forty-nine tweets (12%) discussed a published research article, but 41 tweets did not share a link.

Conclusions:

Charities dominate the cleft lip/palate “Twitterverse.” Most tweets were self-promotional, and over a third of educational tweets were low accuracy. As the cleft social media community continues to grow, we recommend using the hashtag #cleft to reach a wider audience.

The Use of Social Media by Female Physicians in an International Setting: A Mixed Methods Study of a Group WhatsApp Chat

Background: The past decade has witnessed an increase in informal and bottom up driven "she-for-she" efforts, often using social media, to promote the advancement of women in medicine. Yet, this area of research is nascent with limited information on the use of social media platforms by female physicians, especially in the international medical arena. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a social media platform by a diverse group of female physicians in an international setting. Materials and Methods: The study used a mixed methods approach, including quantitative descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic analysis of the content of posts of a women physicians WhatsApp group during a 1-year time period (June 1, 2018-May 31, 2019). Results: The group consisted of 122 members with 4897 posts during the 1-year time period. Nine themes were identified including requests for medical information, logistics, personal recommendations, promotion, celebration, community engagement, education, women's empowerment, and employment inquiries. Engagement was high with 72% of members posting during the last 30 days of analysis and 92% of questions posted receiving a response, often within minutes. There were no instances of unprofessional social media behavior. Conclusions: The social media platform was effective in enabling female physicians to expand networks, exchange ideas, share scientific information, celebrate accomplishments, and provide support to colleagues. Creating a social media forum for women physicians may be an effective tool to foster a network of support and community.

Digital Medicine in Rheumatology: Challenges and Opportunities

The exponential growth in technology has had a significant effect on the practice of medicine and will likely transform the practice of medicine. In this article, the authors review select technologies that are already influencing the practice of rheumatology. Social media Websites such as Twitter are now important sources of information and discussion for health care professionals interested in rheumatology. Virtual reality is an innovative technology with great potential for acute and chronic pain management. The authors also review several low-cost technology alternatives to commonly used tools used in rheumatology.

Gender Differences in Twitter Use and Influence Among Health Policy and Health Services Researchers

This study describes gender differences in Twitter use and influence among health services researchers who attended AcademyHealth’s 2018 Annual Research Meeting.

Social media for the regional anesthesiologist: can we use it in place of medical journals?

The regional anesthesia community regularly uses social media for advocacy and education. Well-known leaders in the field are willing to share their opinions with colleagues in a public forum. Some visionaries predict that the influence of social media will soon transcend that of the traditional academic journal. While physicians support the use of social media, an trend may exist toward anecdotal information. Does a lack of online regulation along with a bias towards self-promotion cloud meaningful discussion? In order to avoid the pitfalls of social media, thoughtful communication will help regional anesthesiologists promote their subspecialty. Mindful dialog, promotion of academic journals, and professional etiquette will help maintain a collegial environment.

Twelve tips for developing and running a successful women's group in international academic medicine

Gender inequity in academic medicine remains an important issue worldwide. While institutional programs and policies can help promote equity in recruitment, retention, scholarship, promotion, and leadership, they often do not address the physical and social isolation that many women in international academic medicine face. Creating networking opportunities through building women's groups can provide a personal and professional support structure that decreases isolation and promotes the advancement of women. Based on a multidisciplinary literature review on change processes, group formation, and women's empowerment, as well as lessons learned from personal experience, we offer 12 tips to successfully create, maintain, and support physician women's groups, employing Kotter's change-management framework. We believe that these groups can provide a structured platform for networking opportunities to advance women physicians in academic medicine worldwide.

Advancing the Mission of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Through Innovation in Teaching

BACKGROUND

Consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry, similar to other medical specialties, relies on the education of students, residents, fellows, and life-long learners for growth of the field. C-L psychiatry is unique as it exists at the intersection of psychiatry with other medical subspecialties. Traditional teaching methods have been used in C-L psychiatry programs for more than 50 years, while technology has recently advanced as available resources and the learning styles of today's learners have evolved. A growing number of younger trainees are taking advantage of new ways to learn.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to examine both traditional and novel teaching methodologies and how each of these educational methodologies fits within adult learning theory and in the context of how digital natives learn about C-L psychiatry.

METHODS

In this narrative review, we drew upon the experiences of the authors as both life-long learners and educators. We then reviewed the literature pertaining to teaching methods that have been used in C-L psychiatry as well as emerging methods that could potentially be used in C-L psychiatry.

RESULTS

C-L psychiatry has used traditional teaching methods such as readings, didactic lectures, case-based rounds, and problem-based learning. Novel teaching methodologies such as teaching rotations, simulations, social media, podcasts, movie clubs, and the use of mobile tablet computers have been used in general psychiatry and other medical specialties, while literature specific to C-L psychiatry was sparse.

CONCLUSIONS

Opportunities abound to make use of new teaching methodologies and technologies to appeal to future generations of C-L psychiatrists.

Impact of Closed Facebook Group Participation on Female Hematology/Oncology Physicians

PURPOSE

Meaningful connections are an important aspect of career satisfaction. The Hematology Oncology Women Physician Group (HOWPG) is a private Facebook (FB) group of 936 women who practice within the hematology/oncology (H/O) field. We hypothesized that HOWPG adds value to education, emotional wellness, and practice of oncology for its membership. A survey was conducted within HOWPG to define group impact on members.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A voluntary, anonymous 12-question online survey was distributed to members of HOWPG by sharing the survey link within the FB group. Participants were surveyed regarding demographics, general FB versus exclusive HOWPG use, and opinions regarding HOWPG value and impact.

RESULTS

A total of 169 members completed the survey; 9% were fellows, 65% had been in practice less than 10 years, and 26% had been in practice 10 years or more; 97% were age younger than 50 years; 85% practiced adult H/O, and the remainder divided their practice among pediatric H/O, radiation oncology, surgical specialty, and palliative care; 90% used FB at least daily, with 82% accessing HOWPG at least daily. The most common uses for the site included education (65% to 89%), advice on complex cases (65%), emotional support (65%), and networking (55%). On a scale of 1 to 10, learning from clinical cases (9.0) and emotional support (8.4) were rated the most beneficial aspects. Respondents felt HOWPG, when compared with FB in general, was more likely to improve career satisfaction and reduce professional burnout.

CONCLUSION

HOWPG provides an opportunity for education and clinical and emotional support. Social media can be an effective venue to educate physicians, augment patient care via advice, foster networking, reduce burnout, and improve career satisfaction among female physicians in the field of H/O.

Use of a Coordinated Social Media Strategy to Improve Dissemination of Research and Collect Solutions Related to Workforce Gender Equity

Background: To increase awareness, search for solutions, and drive change, disparity-related research needs to be strategically disseminated. This study aimed to quantify whether a social media strategy could: (1) amplify dissemination of gender equity-related articles and (2) collect proposed solutions to gender equity issues. Methods: In April 2018, eight published journal articles covering separate gender equity issues were presented in a 1-hour Twitter chat hosted by Physician's Weekly. Metrics data were collected before, during, and after the chat. During the chat, one question related to each article was tweeted at a time. Qualitative data were extracted from responses and evaluated for thematic content. Results: In the 16-hour period during and following the chat, we tallied 1500 tweets from 294 participants and 8.6 million impressions (potential views). The Altmetric Attention Score of each article increased (average, 126.5 points; range, 91-208 points). Within the respective journal, the Altmetric Rank of seven articles improved (range, 3 to ≥19), while the eighth maintained its #1 rank. The one article for which share and download data were available experienced a 729% increase in shares following prechat posts and another 113% bump after the chat, a 1667% increase overall (n = 45-795). Similarly, downloads, and presumably reads, increased 712% following prechat posts and another 47% bump after the chat, a 1093% increase overall (n = 394-4700). We tallied 181 potential solutions to the eight gender equity-related questions. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that social media can be used strategically to increase the dissemination of research articles and collect solution-focused feedback.