Characterizing the social media footprint of general surgery residency programs

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 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.

Adoption and Utilization of Social Media Among Adult and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Divisions and Fellowship Programs in the United States

Background

Social media (SoMe) is ubiquitous, but its adoption and utilization by infectious diseases (ID) divisions are poorly characterized in the United States.

Methods

A systematic search of US ID fellowship/division Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts occurred in November-December 2021. Social media account and program characteristics, post frequency and content, and other measures of SoMe adoption and utilization were recorded and compared between adult and pediatric programs. Posts were thematically categorized as social, promotional, educational, recruitment, or other.

Results

Of 222 ID programs identified, 158 (71.2%) were adult and 64 (28.8%) pediatric. Seventy (31.5%) Twitter, 14 (6.3%) Facebook, and 14 (6.3%) Instagram accounts were identified from US programs. Twitter accounts were associated with larger programs and higher match rates. More adult than pediatric programs had Twitter accounts (37.3% vs 17.2%, P = .004); utilization was similar between adult and pediatric programs. Most Twitter posts were educational (1653 of 2859, 57.8%); most Facebook posts were promotional (68 of 128, 53.1%); and most Instagram posts were social (34 of 79, 43%). Facebook was the earliest adopted SoMe platform, but Twitter and Instagram have more recent growth. Rate of Twitter account creation increased from 1.33 accounts/month in the year before March 2020 (coronavirus disease [COVID] pandemic declaration) to 2.58 accounts/month in the year after March 2020 (P = .18).

Conclusions

Social media remains underutilized across ID divisions, but COVID-19 and virtual recruiting may have influenced recent account creation. Twitter was the most frequently used ID program SoMe platform. Social media may benefit ID programs in recruitment and amplification of their trainees, faculty, and specialty.

General Surgery Going Viral: Current Trends in Social Media Utilization by General Surgery Residency Programs

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the current and changing trends in utilization of social media platforms by general surgery residency programs.

DESIGN

US general surgery residency programs were identified. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter were surveyed for active accounts specific to an institution's general surgery residency program. Metrics for these accounts included: Date of first post/date of account creation, total number of posts, number of followers, number of posts categorized per year for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Active accounts were categorized into university based, university affiliated, or independent programs. Number of followers and the number of posts were compared among those categories. Data collection took place from 7/21/2021 - 8/2/2021.

RESULTS

295 social media accounts were identified. 55% of all programs have at least one social media account. Instagram (47.8%) and Twitter (36.3%) make up the majority of the social media accounts. The majority of all social media accounts (51.2%) were created in 2020. Instagram saw the largest increase in activity in 2020 with posting increasing by 403.7% compared to 2019. Twitter accounts had the highest amount of posts in 2020 (9940). Instagram accounts have the highest follower base (113,499). Facebook also saw increased posting in 2020 but its overall account creation has remained stagnant. University based program accounts have higher on average followers and posts when compared to independent program accounts.

CONCLUSION

Social media accounts specific to general surgery residency programs have grown steadily in the past few years, with a dramatic rise of account creation and activity in 2020. Instagram and Twitter serve as the dominant platforms for new account creation and activity. University based programs attract more followers than independent programs on Instagram and Twitter.