Patients Prefer Medical Facts and Educational Videos From Sports Medicine Surgeons on Social Media

Christina Freiberger; Nisha N Kale; Madeleine E Gallagher; Victoria K Ierulli; Michael J O'Brien; Mary K Mulcahey

doi:10.1016/j.asmr.2023.03.004

Patients Prefer Medical Facts and Educational Videos From Sports Medicine Surgeons on Social Media

Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. 2023 Apr 22;5(3):e649-e656. doi: 10.1016/j.asmr.2023.03.004. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Authors

Christina Freiberger¹, Nisha N Kale¹, Madeleine E Gallagher², Victoria K Ierulli¹, Michael J O'Brien¹, Mary K Mulcahey¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.
² Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Texas Christian University School of Medicine, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.

Abstract

Purpose: To provide updated information on which sports medicine patients are most influenced by provider presence on social media, as well as their preferences in social media platforms and content.

Methods: Between November 2021 and January 2022, an anonymous online, voluntary, self-administered questionnaire containing 13 questions was distributed to patients who had a clinic visit with 1 of 2 orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons at the same institution. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.

Results: A total of 159 responses were received for a response rate of 29.5%. The most common platforms used by patients were Facebook (110; 84%), YouTube (69; 53%), and Instagram (61; 47%). Most participants indicated that it did not make a difference if their sports medicine surgeon was on social media (N = 99, 62%), and they indicated they would not travel further to see a physician who was active on social media (N = 85, 54%). Compared with other age groups, significantly more respondents over the age of 50 years used Facebook to follow their physicians (47 of 60, 78%, P = .012). Seventy-eight (50%) patients noted that they were interested in seeing medical facts, whereas 72 (46%) were interested in seeing educational videos on their physician's social media page.

Conclusions: In this study, we found that sports medicine patients prefer to see educational videos and medical facts from their surgeons on social media, most predominantly on Facebook.

Clinical relevance: Social media is a popular way to connect in our modern world. As the influence of sports medicine surgeons on social media grows, it is important to understand how this is perceived by patients.