The Evolving Role of Social Media in Pediatric Orthopaedics

Abstract

Background: Social media has grown significantly and its application in health care has been dramatically accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is often considered as a "new dimension" of health care, particularly in its ability to provide health information. In 2017, the top social media sites utilized by pediatric orthopaedic surgeons included Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. In our study, we analyze the current social media usage, trends in Instagram and TikTok content, and the perceptions on social media usage among pediatric orthopaedic surgeons. Methods: The Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) membership directory was searched for the presence of social media. A review of all Instagram and TikTok posts made by the POSNA members were reviewed. A survey regarding the perception of social media networks and content was distributed to all POSNA members. Results: A total of 1231 POSNA members actively practicing in the United States were included in our study. In all, 327 (26.6%) had a LinkedIn profile, 34 (2.8%) had a professional Facebook profile, 15 (1.2%) had a public Instagram account, 0 (0%) had TikTok, and 72 (5.8%) had a professional Twitter account. Fifteen POSNA members with public Instagram accounts had 10,878 followers. A total of 907 Instagram posts were made, 134 (14.8%) of which were education and 462 (50.9%) of which were personal or political. The perception of various social media networks such as Instagram (3.02), Facebook (3.16), and LinkedIn (3.51) were positive on a 5-point Likert scale, while perceptions of TikTok (2.36) and Twitter (2.99) were negative. Educational posts on Instagram (3.19) and Facebook (3.37) were positive. Conclusions: We provide an update to the utilization of social media by pediatric orthopaedists. Use of Instagram and TikTok accounts remain rare. Educational posts, when hosted on an appropriate social media platform, are perceived positively among pediatric orthopaedists. Level of Evidence: Level IV.

Use of Social Media in Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Practice

“…O f the 28 articles included studies, 11 focused on residency/ fellowship programs [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] , whereas the remaining 17 examined the utilization of social media by individual orthopaedic surgeons and surgical practices [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] .…”

Differences of Search Engine Digital Footprints Between Podiatrists and Foot and Ankle Orthopaedic Surgeons: A Need to Join the Digital Era

“…Although social media has become increasingly popular among healthcare providers and residency programs, our study demonstrates that "facepages" and "review" sites still dominate the available information of FAOSs and podiatrists in all geographic regions. 29,30 Social media has been seen as a new means of healthcare delivery, 31 and built-in social media support on other website types has also been demonstrated to be a search engine maximization strategy. 28,32 Therefore, these findings suggest that providers and organizations have room for expansion in this area, especially in adapting to and incorporating new social media networks as they become popular.…”

Social Media in Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie

“…[ 19 ] Chiang et al. [ 4 ] LaGrant et al. [ 13 ] Spezialisierung Fußchirurgie Handchirurgie Handchirurgie Kinderorthopädie Sportmedizin Anzahl der Teilnehmer 123 120 469 1231 505 Facebook (% der Teilnehmer) 48,8 % 10,3 % 15,78- 2,8 % 21,8 % Instagram (% der Teilnehmer) 0 %- 4,05 % 4,05 % 1,2 % 9,1 % LinkedIn (% der Teilnehmer) 47,9 %- 22,4 % 40,3 % 26,6 % 52,1 % Twitter (% der Teilnehmer) 15,4 % 1,7 % 12,37 % 5,8 % 22,6 YouTube (% der Teilnehmer) 23,6 % 25,85 k. A.…”