#EBUSTwitter: Novel Use of Social Media for Conception, Coordination, and Completion of an International, Multicenter Pathology Study

Abstract

Context.— Social media sites are increasingly used for education, networking, and rapid dissemination of medical information, but their utility for facilitating research has remained largely untapped. Objective.— To describe in detail our experience using a social media platform (Twitter) for the successful initiation, coordination, and completion of an international, multi-institution pathology research study. Design.— Following a tweet describing a hitherto-unreported biopsy-related histologic finding in a mediastinal lymph node following endobronchial ultrasound–guided transbronchial needle aspiration, a tweet was posted to invite pathologists to participate in a validation study. Twitter's direct messaging feature was used to create a group to facilitate communication among participating pathologists. Contributing pathologists reviewed consecutive cases of mediastinal lymph node resection following endobronchial ultrasound–guided transbronchial needle aspiration and examined them specifically for biopsy site changes. Data spreadsheets containing deidentified data and digital photomicrographs of suspected biopsy site changes were submitted via an online file hosting service for central review by 5 pathologists from different institutions. Results.— A total of 24 pathologists from 14 institutions in 5 countries participated in the study within 143 days of study conception, and a total of 297 cases were collected and analyzed. The time interval between study conception and acceptance of the manuscript for publication was 346 days. Conclusions.— To our knowledge, this is the first time that a social media platform has been used to generate a research idea based on a tweet, recruit coinvestigators publicly, communicate with collaborating pathologists, and successfully complete a pathology study.

Social media in academics and research: 21st‐century tools to turbocharge education, collaboration, and dissemination of research findings

“…27 Notably, the time frame for the study, from study inception to article acceptance, was incredibly short, at <1 year. 28 This collaboration highlights the ability of Twitter to drive rapid and efficient collaboration on a traditionally structured research project. The ability of Twitter to facilitate rapid recruitment of research collaborators was also highlighted by a recently published study on the lung pathology of vaping.…”

“…Prompted by a case report shared on Twitter by Spanish cytopathologist Dr Lara Pijuan, the #EBUSTwitter study recruited study participants from multiple countries on Twitter, collected cases of a hitherto little‐known iatrogenic histological finding [displaced cartilage fragments within mediastinal lymph nodes following endoscopic ultrasound‐guided transbronchial fine‐needle aspiration (FNA)], and facilitated data‐sharing between multiple institutions and collaborators across the world 27 . Notably, the time frame for the study, from study inception to article acceptance, was incredibly short, at <1 year 28 . This collaboration highlights the ability of Twitter to drive rapid and efficient collaboration on a traditionally structured research project.…”

Research Techniques Made Simple: Scientific Communication using Twitter

“…Twitter allows communities to form, and one of the benefits of these communities is the ability to network and discover new colleagues and collaborators. In a recent publication, Lepe et al (2020) discuss how an entire multi-institute international research study developed from Twitter after two different pathologists discussed a previously undescribed biopsy site change after ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration. This initial Twitter conversation led to further collaboration across the platform, and in approximately 1 year, 24 pathologists from 14 institutions came together to analyze 297 cases and publish their findings (Lepe et al, 2020).…”

“…In a recent publication, Lepe et al (2020) discuss how an entire multi-institute international research study developed from Twitter after two different pathologists discussed a previously undescribed biopsy site change after ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration. This initial Twitter conversation led to further collaboration across the platform, and in approximately 1 year, 24 pathologists from 14 institutions came together to analyze 297 cases and publish their findings (Lepe et al, 2020). More recently, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Twitter was one of the methods used to disseminate information about the American Academy of Dermatology's COVID-19 registry, which cataloged cutaneous findings of COVID-19 (Freeman et al, 2020).…”

Social Media: A New Tool for Scientific Engagement

“…These platforms also promote collaboration. Scientists have described publications that were inspired or made possible by social media interaction with previously unknown colleagues (Lepe et al, 2020). Furthermore, social media can effectively flatten academic hierarchies by allowing direct exchanges between established researchers and early-stage trainees (Daneshjou and Adamson, 2020).…”