Social media makes global urology meetings truly global

Social Media Engagement at Academic Conferences: Report of the Association of Pathology Chairs 2018 and 2019 Annual Meeting Social Media Committee

The use of social media at academic conferences is expanding, and platforms such as Twitter are used to share meeting content with the world. Pathology conferences are no exception, and recently, pathology organizations have promoted social media as a way to enhance meeting exposure. A social media committee was formed ad hoc to implement strategies to enhance social media involvement and coverage at the 2018 and 2019 annual meetings of the Association of Pathology Chairs. This organized approach resulted in an 11-fold increase in social media engagement compared to the year prior to committee formation (2017). In this article, the social media committee reviews the strategies that were employed and the resultant outcome data. In addition, we categorize tweets by topic to identify the topics of greatest interest to meeting participants, and we discuss the differences between Twitter and other social media platforms. Lastly, we review the existing literature on this topic from 23 medical specialties and health care fields.

Live videos shared on social media during urological conferences are increasing: Time to reflect on advantages and potential harms. An ESUT-YAU study

INTRODUCTION

Social Media (SoMe) offers excellent opportunities for scientific knowledge dissemination and its use has been extended in urology. However, there is controversy about its use. Live videos shared trough SoMe platforms offer many advantages, but at the same time disadvantages and potential risks including confidentiality, copyright infringement, among others. We aimed to assess the activity of shared videos on SoMe during urological conferences.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive study of videos shared on SoMe during European Association of Urology congress was carried out from January 2016 to June 2018. The online tools Symplur (Symplur.com), Twitter, Periscope and YouTube were searched to collect data. Number of videos, transmission time and views were analyzed. Videos were classified as live or pre-recorded and as scientific or non-scientific. SPSS V22.0 was used to process data.

RESULTS

We identified 108 videos shared on SoMe, 292.42minutes of transmission, 67732 views. 79 of 108 (73%) were live streaming videos, 78 (72%) of which were considered scientific vs. 30 (28%) non-scientific. An increase was observed trough the years of study (2016-2018) in transmission time (p=.031) number of videos, views (p=.018) and live videos (p=.019) during the annual congress of the European Association of Urology.

CONCLUSIONS

Shared videos on SoMe from urological conferences are increasing. These provide advantages for communication, scientific dissemination and expand the scope of conferences. However, there is potential risk of sharing information in real time; that could not be in line with the recommendations for appropriate use of social networks.

Association Between Twitter Reception at a National Urology Conference and Future Publication Status

BACKGROUND

Social media is an increasingly popular means to disseminate medical research. However, it is unknown whether the extent to which content is shared mirrors conventional measures of scientific merit or impact.

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether Twitter activity (as measured by the number of "likes" and "retweets" [RTs]) relating to original research presented at a national urology meeting was associated with subsequent publication status and journal impact factor (IF).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

We retrospectively reviewed Twitter data obtained through the Keyhole archiving platform using the hashtag "#aua15" from May 1 through June 1, 2015 reflecting the hashtag of the American Urological Association (AUA) meeting.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

We analyzed all posts containing keywords related to research studies. Among posts reporting on newly presented studies with discernable attribution, we evaluated subsequent publication status within 45 mo, including journal IF. We compared social media reception (number of likes/RTs) by publication status, and assessed the relationship between social media reception and subsequent journal IF using Pearson's correlation.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

A total of 15 303 posts were associated with #aua15 between May 1 and June 1, 2015, which reached 2 263 438 users. The median number of likes/RTs was 2 (interquartile range 1-3). We analyzed all posts receiving at least one like/RT (n = 2964) for text content related to research and identified 496 associated with new scientific studies presented at the meeting. Forty-five months following the AUA meeting, 96 studies were identifiable on PubMed (19.4%). Research with more likes/RTs at the AUA meeting were more likely to be subsequently published (p = 0.001). Among published studies, there was a modest, positive correlation between the number of likes/RTs and publication journal IF (r² = 0.36).

CONCLUSIONS

Measures of social media engagement with data presented at a national medical meeting were positively correlated with subsequent publication and journal IF after presentation.

PATIENT SUMMARY

New urological research that was shared more often at a national meeting was more likely to be published in journals that are more highly cited.

The use of Twitter to facilitate sharing of clinical expertise in urology

The use of social media in the urologic community is common and increasing. Although the potential benefits of platforms like Twitter have been described in the literature, the use of social media in the clinical context of Urology has not been explored.In this case report, we describe how we used Twitter to share ideas about the clinical management of a complex urologic patient. By posting a clinical scenario, a timely discussion was generated with global participation and expert suggestions. This knowledge was applied to the surgical management of a patient with positive clinical outcomes.The ability of Twitter to facilitate rapid communication with a wide network of contributors makes it a potentially useful tool for clinical decision making. Care must be taken to ensure patient confidentiality and caution used appropriately when evaluating the sources and content of the clinical information shared.

The activity and discussion points of #Circumcision through Twitter; a microblogging platform

OBJECTIVES

Our objective was to elucidate the discussion points of circumcision on social media (SoMe) by looking at the Twitter activity.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Twitter searched for #circumcision hashtag via www.tweetarchivist.com , www.twitonomy.com , www.symplur.com . Total tweet numbers, most influencers, top users were documented. Tweets including female circumcision were excluded. The contents of the tweets were classified into four subgroups (medical, religious, social, and political) by two independent reviewers. All kinds of tweet activities were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 9795 users generated 15,989 tweets about circumcision in a 1 month period. Mean daily tweet activity was 532 for #circumcision. The content analysis revealed that 2224 (15.8%) medical, 1133 (8.0%) religious, 323 (2.2%) social and 10,470 (74.0%) political tweets have been sent out by the users. Contributors originated from 174 countries from 6 continents. Media organizations were accounted for 52% of the top 25 influencers in circumcision hashtag. The most common hashtags accompanying #circumcision were #HIV (4.9%), #babiesgotherpes (3.3%), #muslim (1.8%), #malegenitalmutilation (1.6%) respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

There is an increasing discussion about circumcision through SoMe . Our results provided that the discussion points are mostly driven by the media and the activists. The political tweets have been found to be the center of the discussion. SoMe usage should be increased by medical professionals for true information of the public.

Quantification of Urology Related Twitter Traffic Activity through a Standardized List of Social Media Communication Descriptors

INTRODUCTION

The social media microblogging service Twitter is gaining popularity in the field of urology as a fast and effective communication platform. We assessed volume, subject matter, influencers and content of urology related discussions on the Twitter platform using the recently proposed Urology Tag Ontology hashtag list.

METHODS

We queried the Symplur Signals database for tweet activity during a 1-year period. We used the Urology Tag Ontology hashtag list, comprised of 45 disease related hashtags in 9 urological subspecialties, to assess activity (numbers of tweets, users and impressions), users (geolocation, influencers) and content (words, tweet enhancements) of urology related Twitter traffic.

RESULTS

Twitter activity during the study period included 334,642 tweets by 104,166 users with 1,397,107,305 impressions. Tweet activity varied among urological subspecialties and was largely dominated by urological oncology topics driven by #ProstateCancer. Users came from 224 countries and from all continents around the globe. Health care organizations accounted for the largest proportion of influencers (44%), followed by other individuals (22%) and physicians (13%). The top words were "prevent" (used 20,955 times), "cancer" (19,610), "follow" (19,169), "men" (19,165) and "condom" (18,425). The median (range) number of shares was 2,200 (1,414-8,854) for the top 10 links, 2,123 (1,878-2,737) for the top 10 retweets and 207 (12-438) for the top 10 photos.

CONCLUSIONS

Twitter activity in the field of urology can be assessed using a standardized list of social media communication descriptors. The value of the Twitter communication platform is underscored by the large number of tweets and impressions in the urology space.

Influence of social networks on congresses of urological societies and associations: Results of the 81th National Congress of the Spanish Urological Association

OBJECTIVE

To measure social network activity during the 81th National Congress of the Spanish Urological Association (AEU) and to compare it with the activity during other congresses of national and international urological associations.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We designed and registered the official hashtag #AEU16 for the 81^th National Congress of the AEU on the Symplur website. The following measurements were recorded: number of participants, number of tweets, tweets by participant, tweets per hour and views.

RESULTS

The number of participants in the social network activity during the congress was 207. The measurements of activity in Twitter consisted of a total of 1866 tweets, a mean rate of 16 tweets/h, 9 tweets per participant and 1,511,142 views. The activity during the international congresses is as follows: 2016 American Urological Association annual congress (views: 28,052,558), 2016 European Association of Urology annual congress (views: 13,915,994), 2016 Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (views: 4,757,453), 2015 Société Internationale d'Urologie annual congress (views: 1,023,038). The activity during the national congresses was recorded as follows: 2016 Annual Conference of The British Association of Urological Surgeons (views: 2,518,880), 81th National Congress of the AEU (views: 1,511,142), 109th Congress of l'Association Française d'Urologie (views: 662,828), 67th German Congress of Urology (views: 167,347). We found 10 posts in Facebook and 2 communications via Periscope TV related to #AEU16.

CONCLUSIONS

The social network activity during the 81^th National Congress of the AEU was notable given the results of this study. The use of social networks has expanded among urological associations, congresses and meetings, giving them a global character.

Social Media in Urology: opportunities, applications, appropriate use and new horizons

Introduction

Social Media (SoMe) includes a broad spectrum of public use platforms like Twitter, YouTube or Facebook that have changed the way humans interact and communicate. Considering the high usage rates for various SoMe platforms among urologists, we aimed to perform a review regarding opportunities, applications, appropriate use and new horizons of SoMe in urology.

Material and methods

Literature review.

Results

We are currently experiencing an explosion in the use of SoMe in healthcare and urology due to the clear offer of advantages in communication, information sharing, enhanced experience of meetings and conferences, as well as, for networking. However, SoMe is an open environment and recommendations should be implemented on the appropriate use in order to respect ethical considerations and not break the harmony of the doctor-patient relationship. SoMe activity has become an important part of our participation in scientific meetings.

Conclusions

SoMe represents a vibrant area of opportunities for the communication of knowledge in health care and so their potential applications today are unquestionable; however, its development in the urological community is still in its infancy.

At present the benefits include communication between associations, urologists, residents, other health care professionals and patients.

Further efforts are focusing on standardizing the language used through SoMe and finding out how we can objectively quantify the impact of the information published in SoMe.

Spanish adaptation of the recommendations for the appropriate use of social networks in urology of the European Association of Urology

OBJECTIVE

To adapt to Spanish the recommendations for the appropriate use of social media (SoMe) in the urological setting prepared by the European Association of Urology (EAU).

ACQUISITION OF EVIDENCE

The use of SoMe has become fairly popular in the international urological community. Due to the nature of the medical content shared among healthcare professionals through SoMe, however, there is the risk of medical and legal problems. For this reason, various international urological associations such as the American Urological Association, the British Association of Urological Surgeons and EAU have published their recommendations for the appropriate use of social media. Efforts have been made to adapt and summarise the recommendations of the EAU in Spanish and to publish them in Actas Urológicas Españolas (@actasurologicas), the official journal of the Spanish Urological Association (@InfoAEU) and the American Confederation of Urology (@CAU_URO).

SYNTHESIS OF THE EVIDENCE

SoMe include well-known platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, which have undoubtedly changed the way in which people communicate and interact. SoMe offer clear advantages for communicating between professionals, working in teams, disseminating knowledge and creating professional profiles and are increasingly used by patients and healthcare practitioners. The introduction of SoMe in the urological community has started a revolution in how scientific articles are shared, how people participate in congresses and how international urological associations communicate with their followers. However, SoMe is generally an open public setting, with potential risks for confidentiality and the doctor-patient relationship due to the nature of the shared information. The present recommendations include tools for creating professional profiles, protecting confidentiality and creating honest and responsible content.

CONCLUSIONS

SoMe represents a fascinating area for the communication and dissemination of knowledge, with considerable applicability in health care and the urological community. New efforts are being directed to extend the use of social media in the urological community, measuring its actual academic impact and standardising the language employed.

Activity, content, contributors, and influencers of the twitter discussion on urologic oncology

OBJECTIVES

To analyse the activity, content, contributors, and influencers of the Twitter discussion on urologic oncology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative Twitter analysis for the hashtags #prostatecancer, #bladdercancer, #kidneycancer, and #testicularcancer. Symplur was used to analyse activity over different time periods and the top influencers of the Twitter discussion. Tweet Archivist and Twitonomy analysis tools were used to assess characteristics of content and contributors.

RESULTS

Twitter discussion on urologic oncology in 2014 contained 100,987 tweets created by 39,326 participants. Mean monthly tweet activity was 6,603±2,183 for #prostatecancer, 866±923 for #testicularcancer, 457±477 for #bladdercancer and 401±504 for #kidneycancer. Twitter activity increased by 41% in 2013 and by 122% in 2014. The content analysis detected awareness, cancer, and risk as frequently mentioned words in urologic oncology tweets. Prevalently used related hashtags were the general hashtag #cancer, awareness hashtags, and the respective cancer/urology tag ontology hashtags. Contributors originated from 41 countries on 6 continents and had a mean of 5,864±4,747 followers. They tweeted from platforms on exclusively mobile devices (39%) more frequently than from desktop devices (29%). Health care organizations accounted for 58% of the top influencers in all cancers. The largest proportion of physicians were among the #prostatecancer and #kidneycancer (each 9%) influencers and individual contributors were most frequent in the discussion on #kidneycancer (57%) and #testicularcancer (50%).

CONCLUSION

There is a significant and growing activity in the Twitter discussion on urologic oncology, particularly on #prostatecancer. The Twitter discussion is global, social, and mobile, and merits attention of stakeholders in health care as a promising communication tool.

Twitter in urology and other surgical specialties at global conferences

BACKGROUND

Over recent years, Twitter has demonstrated an expanding role in scientific discussion, surgical news and conferences. This study evaluates the role of Twitter in urological conferences, with comparison to other surgical specialties.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of Twitter metrics during the two largest recent English-speaking conferences for each surgical specialty was performed. Using www.symplur.com, all 'tweets' under the official conference hashtag from 0000 hour the first day to 24.00 hour the final day were assessed. The number of impressions, 'tweeters' and rates of 'tweeting' were analysed.

RESULTS

Nine of 18 conferences examined had official hashtags registered with Symplur Healthcare Hashtags. Plastic and urological surgery had both major conferences registered. Only one of two conferences for each cardiothoracic, general, orthopaedic, otolaryngology and paediatric was registered. Both major neurosurgical and vascular conferences were unregistered. Urological conferences were associated with significantly more Twitter activity than non-urological surgical conferences in all parameters, with greater than triple the number of impressions, tweets and 'tweeters'. Urological surgical conferences were associated with 337% more tweets and 164% more impressions per conference day, than non-urological surgical conferences.

CONCLUSION

Twitter has been used to supplement surgical conferences. In this regard, the urological community leads the way compared to the remainder of surgical specialty communities.

Novel survey disseminated through Twitter supports its utility for networking, disseminating research, advocacy, clinical practice and other professional goals

INTRODUCTION

Twitter use has grown exponentially within the urological community. We aimed to determine the perceptions of the impact of Twitter on users' clinical practice, research, and other professional activities.

METHODS

We performed an 11-item online survey of Twitter contributors during two major urological meetings: the European Association of Urology (EAU) and the American Urological Association (AUA) annual meetings. During the EAU 2014 meeting, we distributed the survey via the meeting official Twitter feed. During the AUA 2014 meeting, we applied a new method by directly sending the survey to Twitter contributors. We performed a subset analysis for assessing the perceived impact of Twitter on the clinical practice of physicians.

RESULTS

Among 312 total respondents, the greatest perceived benefits of Twitter among users were for networking (97%) and disseminating information (96%), followed by research (75%), advocacy (74%) and career development (62%). In total, 65% of Twitter users have dealt with guidelines on online medical professionalism and 71% of physician users found that Twitter had an impact on their clinical practice, and 33% had made a clinical decision based on an online case discussion.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that Twitter users in the urological community perceive important benefits. These benefits extend to multiple professional domains, particularly networking, disseminating information, remote conference participation, research, and advocacy. This is the first study that has been disseminated to targeted individuals from the urological community directly through tweets, providing a proof of principle for this research method.