Top 100 Urology Influencers on Twitter: Is Social Media Influence Associated with Academic Impact?

Privacy Concerns About Sharing General and Specific Health Information on Twitter: Quantitative Study

BACKGROUND

Twitter is a common platform for people to share opinions, discuss health-related topics, and engage in conversations with a wide audience. Twitter users frequently share health information related to chronic diseases, mental health, and general wellness topics. However, sharing health information on Twitter raises privacy concerns as it involves sharing personal and sensitive data on a web-based platform.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to adopt an interactive approach and develop a model consisting of privacy concerns related to web-based vendors and web-based peers. The research model integrates the 4 dimensions of concern for information privacy that express concerns related to the practices of companies and the 4 dimensions of peer privacy concern that reflect concerns related to web-based interactions with peers. This study examined how this interaction may affect individuals' information-sharing behavior on Twitter.

METHODS

Data were collected from 329 Twitter users in the United States using a web-based survey.

RESULTS

Results suggest that privacy concerns related to company practices might not significantly influence the sharing of general health information, such as details about hospitals and medications. However, privacy concerns related to companies and third parties can negatively shape the disclosure of specific health information, such as personal medical issues (β=-.43; P<.001). Findings show that peer-related privacy concerns significantly predict sharing patterns associated with general (β=-.38; P<.001) and specific health information (β=-.72; P<.001). In addition, results suggest that people may disclose more general health information than specific health information owing to peer-related privacy concerns (t165=4.72; P<.001). The model explains 41% of the variance in general health information disclosure and 67% in specific health information sharing on Twitter.

CONCLUSIONS

The results can contribute to privacy research and propose some practical implications. The findings provide insights for developers, policy makers, and health communication professionals about mitigating privacy concerns in web-based health information sharing. It particularly underlines the importance of addressing peer-related privacy concerns. The study underscores the need to build a secure and trustworthy web-based environment, emphasizing the significance of peer interactions and highlighting the need for improved regulations, clear data handling policies, and users' control over their own data.

Who Is Shaping the Future of Academic Urology? A Descriptive Analysis of Residency Program Directors

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the demographics, educational background, and scholarly characteristics of current urology residency program directors (PDs).

METHODS

Urology programs were identified by the listing on the "Accredited US Urology Programs" section of American Urological Association website as of October 2021. Demographics and academic data were collected via publicly available department website and Google search engine. Metrics obtained included years of service as PD from time of appointment, sex, medical school/residency/fellowship, all-time H-index, dual degrees obtained, and professorial ranking.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty-seven accredited urological residencies were reviewed; every PD was included. The majority were male (78%) and fellowship trained (68%). Women represented only 22% of PDs. The median active time served as PD, as of 11/2021, was 4years (IQR: 2-7). Forty (28%) were faculty at the same program they completed their residency. The median all-time H-index was 12 (IQR: 7-19; range 1-61). Twelve PDs also served as chair of their department.

CONCLUSION

The vast majority of PDs are male, fellowship trained, and have served for less than 5years. Future studies are necessary to follow the trends of representation in leaders of urology residency programs.