Use of Social Media in Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Practice

Social media use has grown across healthcare delivery and practice, with dramatic changes occurring in response to the corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic. More than 80% of US State health departments today have social media accounts. Aliya G. Feroe et al conducted a study to conduct a comprehensive systematic review to determine the current landscape of social media use by

(1) orthopaedic surgery residencies/fellowship training programs and

(2) individual orthopaedic surgeons and the change in use over time.

The authors searched 3 electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase) for all studies that analyzed the use of social media in orthopaedic surgery. Two reviewers independently determined study eligibility, rated study quality, and extracted data. Methodology was in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Key findings of the study were:

• Twenty-eight studies were included, of which 11 analyzed social media use by orthopaedic surgery residency and fellowship training programs and 17 examined its use by individual orthopaedic surgeons.

• Among residency and fellowship programs, Instagram was identified as the most common platform used, with 42% to 88% of programs reporting program specific Instagram accounts, followed by Twitter/X (20%-52%) and Facebook (10%-38%).

• Social media was most commonly used by programs for recruitment and information dissemination to prospective residency applicants (82% and 73% of included studies, respectively).

• After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a 620% and 177% increase in the number of training programs with Instagram and Twitter/X accounts, respectively.

• Individual use of social media ranged from 1.7% to 76% (Twitter/X), 10% to 73% (Facebook), 0% to 61% (Instagram), 22% to 61% (LinkedIn), and 6.5% to 56% (YouTube).

The authors concluded that – “Social media has become instrumental to orthopaedic surgery training and practice as a means of information acquisition and dissemination, recruitment, and networking. Because of physical distancing restrictions, the COVID-19 pandemic further catalyzed the adoption of social media by orthopaedic institutions and surgeons alike. Instagram, Twitter/X, and Facebook are the premier platforms that patients, residency applicants, and institutions frequent, but additional platforms are proving valuable to research promotion and information distribution. With the continued growth of social media use anticipated, it will be critical for institutions and individuals to create and abide by guidelines outlining respectful and professional integration of social media into practice.”

Level of Evidence: Level IV.

Further reading:

Use of Social Media in Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Practice A Systematic Review Aliya G. Feroe et al JBJS Open Access d 2024:e23.00098. http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.OA.23.00098