The article I selected was Social Media and Medical Education in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review. This article focused on medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic and how social media applications have the capabilities to deliver different educational outcomes. The conclusion of the article noted that social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, and podcasts should be incorporated into medical education, and clinicians and medical educators should evolve to include these modalities into their course curriculum.
A survey of medical resident students noted that nearly 90% listened to a podcast at least once a month, and approximately 72% reported that podcasts changed their experience with patients (Riddell et al., 2017 as cited in Katz and Nandi, 2021). Another study found that 98% of medical students used YouTube as a web-based information source to supplement their education (Jaffar, 2012, as cited in Katz and Nandi, 2021). Medical students have also used Facebook Groups to connect with others and share their personal experiences, Instagram has been used for image-heavy topics such as dermatology, and Twitter has been used by medical students for focused discussion boards or chats about a particular topic.
This journal article also addresses some important challenges and pitfalls of social media use within medical education. For instance, one major concern is the massive amount of misinformation on these open platforms. “For instance, an analysis of dermatological hashtag use on Instagram showed that only 5% of the top dermatology-related posts were created by board-certified dermatologists” (Katz and Nandi, 2021, para. 24). So much misinformation can be spread quickly within the social media platforms that learners and readers must be cautious of the information they receive and verify any medical content with a licensed provider.
Additionally, the article throws caution to the use of social media by professionals in perceived digital professionalism and note that employers and academic leadership may survey student public social media profiles and make conclusions based on their findings. Medical students should use social media platforms responsibly.
References
Jaffar, A. A. (2012). YouTube: An emerging tool in anatomy education. Anatomical Sciences Education, 5(3), 158–164. https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.1268
Katz, M., & Nandi, N. (2021). Social Media and medical education in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: Scoping review. JMIR Medical Education, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.2196/25892
Riddell, J., Swaminathan, A., Lee, M., Mohamed, A., Rogers, R., & Rezaie, S. (2017). A survey of emergency medicine residents’ use of educational podcasts. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 18(2), 229–234. https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2016.12.32850
