Published online Aug 18, 2022. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v13.i8.693
Peer-review started: November 23, 2021
First decision: February 15, 2022
Revised: February 18, 2022
Accepted: July 22, 2022
Article in press: July 22, 2022
Published online: August 18, 2022
Processing time: 266 Days and 10.5 Hours
As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, orthopaedic surgery residency programs across the country experienced rapid and drastic changes to their application process. In response, residency programs shifted to virtual events and began harnessing social media to communicate with applicants.
Social media has become an integral part of business, education, and networking. However, there is scarce literature that explores the use of social media amongst orthopaedic surgery residency programs, specifically in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The aim of the study analyze and discuss the various changes in social media usage by orthopaedic surgery residency programs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Orthopaedic surgery programs were reviewed for social media presence on Instagram and Twitter. Instagram accounts were tallied for followers, number of posts, and date of creation. Twitter posts were characterized via type of post and sentiment using natural language processing.
In response to the pandemic, orthopaedic surgery residency programs greatly increased their presences on Instagram and Twitter. Both platforms were used in a similar manner to engage with applicants, however, it remains unknown what the impact this had on prospective applicants.
Our study demonstrates a substantial growth of Instagram and Twitter presence by orthopaedic surgery residency programs associated with the COVID pandemic. This data suggest that orthopaedic surgery residency programs have utilized social media as a new way to communicate with applicants and showcase their programs in light of the challenges presented by the pandemic. The authors anticipate the current trend in social media will plateau as the visiting student precautions are returned to normal before stabilizing as a present but less pervasive means of communication.
Further studies are needed to evaluate the true impact that increased social media use by orthopaedic surgery residency programs has on the application process.