Neurosurgery Influences and X: A Social Media Analysis. Garcia, G., Kurker, K., Dabhi, N., Kurker, V., Sowah, M., Jones, B., Fuentes, A., Bin-Alamer, O., & Park, M. World Neurosurgery, 183((Garcia G., KVP2XE@uvahealth.org; Kurker K.P.; Dabhi N.; Fuentes A.M.; Park M.S.) Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States):e145–e152, 2024.
Neurosurgery Influences and X: A Social Media Analysis [link]Paper  doi  abstract   bibtex   
Background: There exists a complex and ever-evolving relationship between social media and medicine. This study investigates the usage of X (formerly Twitter) among neurosurgeons and explores how virtual engagement potentially impacts this specialty. Methods: The researchers examined X posts from the top fifty influential neurosurgeons over 6 months. Demographics and practice information were collected. Posts were categorized into 9 predetermined coding definitions. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize user characteristics. χ2 tests and two-tailed T-tests were employed to examine patterns of posting behavior. Results: Most influencers practiced in an academic setting (89%) and 43% of them were age fifty or older. Only 15% identified as female. Cerebrovascular subspecialists accounted for 39% of the cohort. Reposting was the most popular type of posting, constituting 61% of all posts. The most common postcategory observed was “Professional Events” (31%), while “Patient Education” was the least common (0.8%). Private practice and general neurosurgeons infrequently posted about “Professional Events” (5.1%, P \textless 0.01 and 3.2%, P \textless 0.01, respectively). “Personal Thoughts” constituted the second most common category, with a notable increase among users younger than 50 (25%, P \textless 0.01), individuals who identified as female (62%, P \textless 0.01), those in private practice (69%, P \textless 0.01), and general neurosurgeons (86%, P \textless 0.01). Conclusions: Neurosurgeons of all ages use X to advance their careers and stay updated. However, the utilization of this influential platform likely varies depending on the current practice setting and individual career goals. Neurosurgeons on X appear to have the greatest influence within an academic context, particularly when promoting professional events.
@article{garcia_neurosurgery_2024,
	title = {Neurosurgery {Influences} and {X}: {A} {Social} {Media} {Analysis}},
	volume = {183},
	issn = {1878-8769},
	url = {https://www.embase.com/search/results?subaction=viewrecord&id=L2030146752&from=export},
	doi = {10.1016/j.wneu.2023.12.043},
	abstract = {Background: There exists a complex and ever-evolving relationship between social media and medicine. This study investigates the usage of X (formerly Twitter) among neurosurgeons and explores how virtual engagement potentially impacts this specialty. Methods: The researchers examined X posts from the top fifty influential neurosurgeons over 6 months. Demographics and practice information were collected. Posts were categorized into 9 predetermined coding definitions. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize user characteristics. χ2 tests and two-tailed T-tests were employed to examine patterns of posting behavior. Results: Most influencers practiced in an academic setting (89\%) and 43\% of them were age fifty or older. Only 15\% identified as female. Cerebrovascular subspecialists accounted for 39\% of the cohort. Reposting was the most popular type of posting, constituting 61\% of all posts. The most common postcategory observed was “Professional Events” (31\%), while “Patient Education” was the least common (0.8\%). Private practice and general neurosurgeons infrequently posted about “Professional Events” (5.1\%, P {\textless} 0.01 and 3.2\%, P {\textless} 0.01, respectively). “Personal Thoughts” constituted the second most common category, with a notable increase among users younger than 50 (25\%, P {\textless} 0.01), individuals who identified as female (62\%, P {\textless} 0.01), those in private practice (69\%, P {\textless} 0.01), and general neurosurgeons (86\%, P {\textless} 0.01). Conclusions: Neurosurgeons of all ages use X to advance their careers and stay updated. However, the utilization of this influential platform likely varies depending on the current practice setting and individual career goals. Neurosurgeons on X appear to have the greatest influence within an academic context, particularly when promoting professional events.},
	language = {English},
	number = {(Garcia G., KVP2XE@uvahealth.org; Kurker K.P.; Dabhi N.; Fuentes A.M.; Park M.S.) Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States},
	journal = {World Neurosurgery},
	author = {Garcia, G. and Kurker, K.P. and Dabhi, N. and Kurker, V.H. and Sowah, M. and Jones, B.S. and Fuentes, A.M. and Bin-Alamer, O. and Park, M.S.},
	year = {2024},
	keywords = {article, career, controlled study, demographics, female, human, neurosurgeon, neurosurgery, patient education, private practice, social media, social media analysis},
	pages = {e145--e152},
}

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