The untapped potential of Instagram to facilitate rheumatology academia

From posts to practice: Instagram's role in veterinary dairy cow nutrition education-How does the audience interact and apply knowledge? A survey study

This study evaluates Instagram's efficacy as an educational tool in veterinary sciences, focusing on dairy cow nutrition and management. Using the Instagram account "Stalla Didattica Unibo," established in December 2020, a survey was conducted with 102 respondents, primarily consisting of university students (44.12%). The respondents were divided into 2 major groups: students and the general population, with the latter comprising professionals and others not currently in educational programs. In the overall population, the age group of 25 to 34 yr accounted for 51%, but among students, it was 73.3%. In terms of gender distribution, there was a female majority in the general population (59.8%) and a male majority among students (73.3%). Most responders were from Italy, with Emilia-Romagna contributing significantly. Engagement was measured not only by the length of time participants followed the account but also by active interactions such as likes, comments, and shares. Among the total population, 47.1% had followed the page for over a year, compared with 37.8% of students. Importantly, engagement metrics showed active participation, with a majority reporting improved knowledge (75.6% of the total population and 74.5% of students) and practical application of content (64.4% of the total population and 67.6% of students). Content preferences varied, with the general population favoring quizzes (33.3%) and stories (17.8%), whereas students showed a stronger preference for standard posts (36.3%). Impact was defined as the perceived influence of the Instagram content on the respondents' learning and professional practices, with 46.7% of the total population and 52.9% of students agreeing or strongly agreeing that the page had a positive impact on their knowledge and practical skills. Furthermore, 84.3% of students and 77.8% of the total population stated they would recommend the page to others, underscoring the account's effectiveness as a digital educational tool. The study highlights Instagram's potential to enhance veterinary education and suggests further research to explore the broader application of these strategies across different educational contexts and platforms.

How (Cautious) Social Media Use May Improve Education and Pipeline Efforts of a Growing Postpandemic Forensic Pathologist Workforce Shortage

ABSTRACT

Many subspecialties of pathology have initiated novel methods and strategies to connect with medical students and residents, stimulate interest, and offer mentorship. Emerging concern about the future of forensic pathology has been highlighted in contemporary literature as recruitment of new fellows has stagnated and workforce shortage concerns have blossomed. Amidst these challenges, the potential role of social networking platforms like social media (SoMe) in enhancing autopsy pathology/forensics education has garnered attention, yet literature focusing specifically on its application in autopsy and forensic pathology remains limited. This review aims to provide a comprehensive narrative overview of the current literature on the established uses of SoMe in forensic pathology. It seeks to build upon existing recommendations, introducing a contemporary compilation of online resources designed to facilitate virtual engagement among pathologists, learners, patients, and families. The review supports the idea that strategic, ethical, and conscientious use of SoMe has a place in addressing the growing workforce shortages and closing educational gaps in forensic pathology by enhancing exposure to the field and dispelling antiquated stereotypes.

Digital Health and Self-Management in Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: A Missed Opportunity?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This paper explored the potential of digital health in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs), with a focus on self-management. Digital self-management technology includes tailored treatment plans, symptom tracking, educational resources, enhanced communication, and support for long-term planning.

RECENT FINDINGS

After arguing the importance of digital health in IIMs management, from diagnosis until treatment, our literature review revealed a notable gap in research focusing on the efficacy of digital self-management interventions for individuals with IIMs, with no randomised controlled trials or observational studies addressing this topic. Our review further highlighted the significant unmet need for research in self-management interventions for individuals with IIMs. The absence of studies underscores the necessity for collaborative efforts to address this gap and develop personalised, effective strategies for managing IIMs using digital technology. Individuals with IIMs deserve tailored self-management approaches akin to those available for other rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

Social media has become a mainstream source of medical information for patients with rheumatic diseases: a cross-sectional survey of patients

This study analyzed the status of medical information acquisition through social media (SM) and its impact on healthcare utilization among patients with rheumatic diseases (RDs) who visited the rheumatology department of a tertiary hospital. We consecutively evaluated 102 patients with RDs in this single-center cross-sectional survey. Using a face-to-face survey, patients were asked about the sources they used to acquire medical information, factors influencing their visits to tertiary hospitals, and the potential impact of acquiring medical information on RDs through SM. SM refers to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Kakao Channel, Naver Band, and X. The mean age was 42.3 years and 39% were female. The most common disease was ankylosing spondylitis (45.1%), followed by rheumatoid arthritis (20.6%). The most frequent method for acquiring medical information regarding RDs, except for rheumatologists, was internet portal sites (47.8%), followed by SM (40.2%). The most important factor influencing the decision to visit a tertiary hospital was medical doctors (51%); only 1% of the patients responded that SM was the most crucial factor in determining their visit. Most patients (77.5%) responded that acquiring medical information through SM would help them manage their diseases. Our data revealed that a substantial proportion of patients with RDs obtained medical information through SM. However, the impact of SM on visiting a tertiary hospital was minimal, suggesting that SM has become a mainstream source of medical information, yet the reliability of SM remains relatively low. Rheumatology societies should establish SM platforms capable of providing high-quality medical information.

#clearaligners and social media: An in-depth analysis of clear aligners' content on Instagram

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Clear aligners-related posts are popularized on social media platforms to educate patients and peers and to market aligners in dental practices. This study aimed to characterize the account credentials and content of the top-performing posts to understand the spread of clear aligners-related information on Instagram.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional web-based study analysed 13 Instagram clear aligners-related hashtags. Content analysis was performed for the "Top 10 posts" listed under the "Top" section for each hashtag within Instagram, as sorted by Instagram's algorithm. Data were analysed for the poster's background, credentials, role, post format, content, and engagement level ratio. Duplicate posts and those not relevant to clear aligners were excluded. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the collected data were conducted.

RESULTS

A total of 29 192 596 posts mentioned the selected hashtags, of which 130 posts were screened in this study. Most posts were authored by dentists (n = 84), 79.8% of them were orthodontic specialists. Self-promotional posts comprised 90.2%, while educational posts accounted for only 8.9%. Interestingly, the number of likes and comments received on posts by patients (n = 19, median = 112, IQR = 340) was significantly higher than those posted by dentists (n = 84, median = 93, IQR = 81.75) (P = .004).

CONCLUSION

More than 29 million posts about clear aligners were identified on Instagram. Orthodontists are the leading authors of aligners hashtags. However, the majority of the posts are self-promotional and have nonfactual information. Social media awareness among orthodontic specialists may help provide more evidence-based content about clear aligners and can act as an interactive networking and health communication platform.

Social Media and Rheumatology Societies: Strategic Insights

The use of social media has heralded a new era of communication and social interaction, presenting important and often untapped potential and opportunity for professional organizations to thrive. In this article, we discuss the use of social media by rheumatology societies, focusing on strategy and marketing development. We share first-hand insights and tips for using social media in a way that can help rheumatology societies and professional organizations overall to thrive.

[Social media-Chances and risks for rheumatology]

Die Nutzung von sozialen Medien (Social Media) und sozialen Netzwerken (Social Networks) hat in den letzten Jahren stark zugenommen. Sie gewinnen als Informationskanäle sowohl im privaten als auch beruflichen Kontext immer mehr an Bedeutung. Auch in der Medizin werden Social Media bereits vielfältig eingesetzt. So sind Fachgesellschaften und Interessenverbände immer stärker in den sozialen Netzwerken vertreten. Durch die breite Nutzung und große Reichweite der Netzwerke ergeben sich neue Möglichkeiten auch für das Fach der Rheumatologie. Dieser Übersichtsartikel gibt einen Überblick über die Charakteristika einiger großer Social-Media-Plattformen und untersucht bisherige Publikationen aus diesem Themengebiet im Rahmen einer systematischen Analyse. Weiterhin werden Vorteile, aber auch potenzielle Risiken, die bei der Nutzung entstehen können, beschrieben.

Harnessing the True Power of Altmetrics to Track Engagement

Altmetrics has recently been at the forefront of tracking medical literature propagation on social media in the modern era. With the rapidly evolving landscape of social media for academia, there's room to revise the approach. The authors discuss current limitations and suggest changes to make online attention trackers more robust and wholesome. Medical literature propagated on currently popular social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok are not accounted for by altmetrics. For altmetrics to become a more robust tool it is vital that it keeps up with the times and accounts for representation of data from these platforms as well. Greater inclusivity, dynamic weightage of different social media platforms based on location dependant availability and usage, and period re-evaluation based on prevailing trends may help metrics reflect the true attention garnered by published research. Besides, development of hybrid scores with separate components to reflect online attention and traditional citations may provide readers a more fair and balanced perception of the actual importance of an article. With the changes proposed, altmetrics has the potential to become a much more inclusive and reflective tool in times to come.