Tweet for the cure: A snapshot of Twitter usage by 3 U.S. oncologic professional societies

Characterizing Twitter Influencers in Radiation Oncology

Purpose

Both the superstructures of virtual discourse in radiation oncology and the entities occupying influential positions in the social media landscape of radiation oncology remain poorly characterized.

Methods and Materials

NodeXL Pro was used to prospectively sample all tweets with the hashtag #radonc every 8 to 10 days during the course of 1 year (December 4, 2018, to November 29, 2019). Twitter handles were grouped into conversational clusters using the Clauset-Newman-Moore community detection algorithm. For each sample period, the top 10 #radonc Twitter influencers, defined using betweenness centrality, were categorized. Influencers were scored in each sample period according to their top 10 influence rank and summarized with descriptive statistics. Linear regression assessed for characteristics that predicted higher influence scores among top influencers.

Results

In the study, 684,000 tweets were sampled over 38 periods. #radonc tweets took on the crowd superstructure of a hub-and-spoke broadcast network formed when prominent individuals are widely repeated by many audience members. Professional societies were the most influential category of Twitter handles with an average influence score of 7.63 out of 10 (standard deviation [SD] = 1.94). When industry handles were present among top 10 influencers, they exhibited the second highest average influence scores (6.75, SD = 1.06), followed by individuals with scores of 5.28 (SD = 0.43). The categories of influencers were stable during the course of 1 year. The role of attending physician, radiation oncology specialty, male sex, academic practice, and US-based handles in North America were predictors of higher influence score.

Conclusions

Twitter influencers in radiation oncology represent a diverse group of people and organizations, but male academic radiation oncologists based in North America occupy particularly influential positions in virtual communities broadly characterized as “hub and spoke” broadcast networks. Periodic network-based analyses of the social media discourse in radiation oncology are warranted to maintain an awareness of the handles that are influencing discussions on Twitter and ensure that social media utilization continues to contribute to the field of radiation oncology in a meaningful way.

Current Social Media Use Among Radiation Oncology Trainees

Purpose

Resident physicians use social media (SM) for many reasons. We sought to characterize current SM use by radiation oncology (RO) trainees for education and professional development.

Methods and Materials

An anonymous 40-question survey was sent by e-mail to RO residents in the 2018 to 2019 academic year. SM platform use, time spent on SM, professional use, and opinions regarding SM use were assessed. Descriptive statistics and a univariate logistic regression analysis were performed to identify factors associated with perceptions of SM and spending >25% of SM time for academic or professional purposes.

Results

Of the 615 residents surveyed, 149 responded (24% response rate). Facebook (73%), theMednet (62%), Instagram (59%), Twitter (57%), and Doximity (50%) were the top SM platforms used. Most respondents (53%) reported <25% of overall SM time on professional/academic purposes, and 21% reported using SM >60 minutes per day over the past week. Residents with an RO mentor on SM (n = 35; 24%; odds ratio [OR]: 2.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29-6.08; P = .010), those participating in RO discussions on SM (n = 71; 48%; OR: 2.85; 95% CI, 1.42-5.72; P = .003), and those interacting with professional societies (n = 69; 46%; OR: 7.11; 95% CI, 3.32-15.24; P < .001) were more likely to spend >25% of their SM time on professional/academic purposes. The vast majority of respondents agreed that SM exposed them to novel educational content (82%) and was helpful for career development (65%). In addition, 69% agreed that SM can improve clinical skills and knowledge. A substantial minority agreed that SM distracts them from studying (38%) or they felt pressure to have a SM presence (29%).

Conclusions

Most RO residents reported that SM provides novel educational content and can help with career development. Potential disadvantages of SM for trainees may include distraction and pressure to maintain a SM presence. SM use by RO trainees merits further research to optimize its potential for education and professional development.

Growth of the Social #RadOnc Network on Twitter

PURPOSE

Twitter is an increasingly popular social media platform within the health care community. The objective of this analysis is to characterize the profile of radiation oncology-related tweets and Twitter users over the past 6 years.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Using the web-based social media analytics platform Symplur Signals, we filtered tweets containing at least 1 of the following hashtags or key words: #radonc, #radiationoncology, "rad onc," or "radiation oncology." We evaluated radiation oncology-related Twitter activity between October 2014 and March 2020 for tweet frequency, tweet content, and individuals or groups posting tweets. We identified the most influential Twitter users contributing to radiation oncology-related tweets.

RESULTS

From 2014 to 2020, the quarterly volume of radiation oncology-related tweets increased from 5027 to 29,763. Physicians contributed the largest growth in tweet volume. Academic radiation oncologists comprise 60% of the most influential Twitter accounts responsible for radiation oncology-related content. The number of radiation-oncology resident physicians on Twitter increased from 25 to 328 over the past 6 years, and 20% of radiation-oncology residency programs have a Twitter account. Seventy-one percent of radiation oncology-related tweets generated direct communication via mentions, and 59% of tweets contain links to external sources, including scientific articles.

CONCLUSIONS

The number of physicians contributing radiation oncology-related Twitter content has increased significantly in recent years. Academic radiation oncologists are the primary influencers of radiation oncology-related Twitter activity. Twitter is used by radiation oncologists to both professionally network and discuss findings related to the field. There remains the opportunity for radiation oncologists to broaden their audience on Twitter to encompass a more diverse community, including patients.

Tweeting the Headache Meetings: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Twitter Activity Surrounding American Headache Society Conferences

OBJECTIVES

To describe and analyze Twitter activity associated with American Headache Society (AHS) conferences and evaluate the potential for Twitter to promote education and public outreach.

BACKGROUND

Many medical and scientific conferences have adopted Twitter as a method of promoting discussion among attendees as well as increasing visibility. Relatively little is known, however, about the composition of conference Twitter activity, the participants, and the impact on broader Twitter discussions.

METHODS

We analyzed Twitter data from 5 AHS conferences held from 2014 to 2016 using their respective hashtags. Using the Symplur Healthcare Hashtags open social media search platform, we gathered data on numbers of tweets, impressions, participants, and mentions during a 10-day period surrounding each conference, as well as samples of Twitter accounts participating. Prominent accounts were categorized as individual medical professionals, other individuals, host organizations, health-related organizations, medical centers, and industry by cross-checking their Twitter profiles and conference registration lists. Larger samples of accounts participating in the 2016 conferences were also obtained and categorized similarly, with individual person accounts classified by conference registration status. A related prominent hashtag (#migraine) was also identified and Twitter usage before, during, and after each conference was analyzed to evaluate the impact of conference activity on broader Twitter conversations.

RESULTS

Nineteen thousand nine hundred thirty-six tweets were generated across the 5 conferences, with 11,531 (58%) created by the Top 10 participating accounts in each conference, which were primarily individual medical professionals and host organizations. Thirty-two million six hundred eighty-three thousand impressions were generated across the 5 conferences, with 24,656,000 (75%) coming from the Top 10 participants in each, particularly host organizations and other individuals. An average of 331 accounts participated in each conference. The Top 10 mentioned accounts in each conference (consisting of 21 unique accounts with 14 accounts in the Top 10 across multiple conferences, primarily individual medical professionals) received a total of 15,093 mentions. Among 135 unique accounts participating actively in the two 2016 conferences, 39% were individual medical professionals, 38% other individuals, 16% health-related organizations (including the 2 host organizations), 4% medical centers, and 2% industry. From these samples, 34 of 70 (49%) and 43 of 66 (65%) individual person accounts participating in the Twitter discussion at each conference were not registered conference attendees, indicating substantial outside participation via Twitter. #migraine usage during conferences showed a significant increase from baseline in number of tweets (6080 in a 10-day period vs 3721, P < .0001) and participants (2332 vs 1830, P < .0001) but the increase was not significant for impressions (30,155 vs 25,361, P = .240).

CONCLUSIONS

Consistent with the dynamics of Twitter conversations on other topics, AHS conference discussions featured a small group of accounts creating the bulk of content, with individual medical professionals and host organizations generating the largest shares of tweets and mentions while host organizations and other individuals produced the most impressions. Participating accounts were mainly individuals and health-related organizations, with more non-attendee participants than expected. Conference Twitter activity correlated with a significant increase in #migraine usage, suggesting a perceptible influence on the discussion of health-related topics beyond the conference itself.

Integrating Social Media in Modern Oncology Practice and Research

The widespread adoption and diffusion of social media provides oncology professionals with a unique and unprecedented opportunity to engage with the public. However, there remains a paucity of literature examining how clinicians and researchers can effectively use social media to complement modern oncology practice and research. In this review, we dissect the benefits and risks of professional social media use in oncology and offer several best practices for clinicians and researchers to achieve effective engagement. We also describe how to participate constructively in Twitter conversations at the time of medical or scientific conferences. Additionally, we demonstrate how to communicate appropriately and safely with patients and families online. Finally, we explore the exciting and nascent field of social media research and highlight the need to investigate its potential value in personalized cancer medicine.