Social media and e-learning use among European exercise science students

Effectiveness of Twitter Threads to Improve Medical Student Electrocardiogram (ECG) Reading-Skills. The TwittUVa-ECG Non-Randomized Pre-Post Study

Introduction

social media is increasingly used in medical education, but its real educational effectiveness is unclear. In this study we assess the effectiveness of Twitter threads (TTS) in improving electrocardiogram (ECG) basic reading skills (ECGBRS).

Materials and Methods

Seven TTS describing ECGBRS were published from October 28, 2021, to November 24, 2021. Tests were used to assess medical students ECGBRS pre and post intervention. All third and sixth-year medical students were invited to participate. Sixty-three students were enrolled (33 third year and 30 sixth year). Nine (14.3%) participants dropped out.

Results

Sixth year medical students had higher ECGBRS at baseline. The number of correct items increased after the Twitter intervention; median correct pre-test items were 20 out of 56, (interquartile range (IQR) 14-23), and median post-test were 29 out of 56, (IQR 21-36) (p < 0.001). The improvement in sixth year students was greater than for third year students; 10 more correct items (IQR 4-14) vs. 7 (IQR 1-14) items (p = 0.045). The more TTS followed, the greater the improvement in ECGBRS (p = 0.004). The QRS axis calculation was the ECG reading skill with the lowest scores. Most medical students were definitely (35%) or very probably (46%) interested in repeating another on-line learning experience and found the TTS extremely (39%) or very (46%) interesting.

Conclusions

The use of specifically designed TTS was associated with improvement in medical students' interpretation of ECGs. The effectiveness of the threads was higher in the final years of medical school when basic skills had already been acquired.

Graphical Abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-023-01885-x.

Not Just for Dancing? A Content Analysis of Concussion and Head Injury Videos on TikTok

Social media platforms are an accessible and increasingly used way for the public to gather healthcare-related information, including on sports injuries. "TikTok" is currently one of the fastest-growing social media platforms worldwide, and it is especially popular amongst adolescents and young adults. The widespread use and popularity of TikTok suggests that this platform has potential to be a source for healthcare information for younger individuals. The aim of this study was to gain a preliminary understanding of the concussion/head injury-related information on TikTok, and to gauge if TikTok could serve as a platform for concussion education. This exploratory study used a systematic search strategy to understand more about how concussion is being portrayed through TikTok videos. Using the keywords "concussion" and "head injury," 200 videos were downloaded from TikTok and 43 videos were excluded. Of the 92 videos retrieved using the keyword "concussion," 95% (n = 88) had more than 100,000 views and 6% (n = 10) had been viewed more than 10 million times. Over half, 54% (n = 50) of the "concussion" videos depicted individuals "playing around" and getting hit in the head, whilst only 1% (n = 1) of the TikTok videos were categorized as "explaining concussion facts." The large numbers of views of concussion-related TikTok videos demonstrates the popularity of this platform and indicates that healthcare organizations should consider TikTok as a potential means for concussion education amongst younger individuals.

Diagnosis in a snap: a pilot study using Snapchat in radiologic didactics

Purpose

To evaluate Snapchat, an image-based social media platform, as a tool for emergency radiologic didactics comparing image interpretation on mobile devices with conventional analysis on a classroom screen.

Materials and methods

Seven radiology residents (4 juniors, 3 seniors;4 males, 3 females; 28.4 years old, ± 1.7 years) were shown 5 emergent radiologic cases using Snapchat and 5 cases of similar content and duration on a classroom projector over 4 weeks. All images depicted diagnoses requiring immediate communication to ordering physicians. Performance was scored 0–2 (0 = complete miss, 1 = major finding, but missed the diagnosis, 2 = correct diagnosis) by two attending radiologists in consensus.

Results

All residents performed better on Snapchat each week. In weeks 1–4, juniors scored 21/40 (52.5%), 23/40 (57.5%), 19/40 (47.5%), and 18/40 (45%) points using Snapchat compared with 13/40 (32.5%), 23/40 (57.5%), 14/40 (35%), and 13/40 (32.5%), respectively, each week by projector, while seniors scored 19/30 (63.3%), 21/30 (70%), 27/30 (90%), and 21/30 (70%) on Snapchat versus 16/30 (53.3%), 19/30 (63.3%), 20/30 (66.7%), and 20/30 (66.7%) on projector. Four-week totals showed juniors scoring 81/160 (50.6%) on Snapchat and 63/160 (39.4%) by projector compared with seniors scoring 88/120 (73.3%) and 75/120 (62.5%), respectively. Performance on Snapchat was statistically, significantly better than via projector during weeks 1 and 3 (p values 0.0019 and 0.0031).

Conclusion

Radiology residents interpreting emergency cases via Snapchat showed higher accuracy compared with using a traditional classroom screen. This pilot study suggests that Snapchat may have a role in the digital radiologic classroom’s evolution.