The Potential Role of Facebook as the Ideal Medium for Global Medical Education: Current Practices and Future DirectionsThe Potential Role of Facebook as the Ideal Medium for Global Medical Education: Current Practices and Future Directions Sara Raminpour Elliot K. Fishman, MD |
Introduction Access to global information has become easier to obtain as technology standards increase. This tech boost has had a great impact on communication styles and has changed social interactions. In this exhibit, we will discuss an introduction to Facebook as a social media and its impact on the dissemination of medical education. Presentation Contents
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Facebook Mission “To give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what’s going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.”
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What is Facebook and what is its global reach beyond radiology? Facebook developed a free application designed to connect people and interests by sharing information. Registered users setup a profile and indicate individuals, groups, and businesses they would like to connect with. Facebook is available globally to anyone with internet access and a web browsing tool. Facebook is the leading Social Media platform; in June 2017 it reached 2 billion monthly users worldwide.  Constine J. Facebook now has 2 billion monthly users… and responsibility [Internet]. Tech Crunch 2017 June 27. Available from: https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/27/facebook-2-billion-users/ |
Geographic breakdown of Facebook users Asia: 736M users Latin America/Caribbean: 370.9M users Europe: 343.2M users North America: 263M users Africa: 158.7M users Middle East: 86.7M users Oceania/Australia: 19.5M users  |
Facebook Terminology As the leading social media platform, Facebook has developed it’s own jargon that users have adopted. Here is a glossary of terms that are helpful in understanding the basics of Facebook. Comment – a way to share thoughts and respond to a Post. Engagement – clicking anywhere on the Post. This includes Likes, comments, shares, and link clicks. Fans – another way to refer to people who Like your Page. Follow – a way to see Posts from people you are interested in, even if you are not friends. Friend – people you connect and share with on Facebook. You can send and received friend requests from other Facebook members. Group – a Page created for an organization or business. Hashtags – keywords that are used to organize content, preceded by the pound sign (#). Beese J. Your Handy Guide to Facebook Marketing Terms [Internet]. SproutSocial 2015 Feb 17. Available from: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-terminology-glossary/ |
Facebook Terminology As the leading social media platform, Facebook has developed it’s own jargon that users have adopted. Here is a glossary of terms that are helpful in understanding the basics of Facebook. Impression – the number of times a Post from your Page is displayed to other users. Insights – Facebook’s in-app analytics tool that tracks Page performance. Like – a way to give positive feedback and connect with things you care about. When you Like something, the action appears as an update on your Timeline. Liking a Post means you were interested in what a friend was talking about. Liking a Page means you are connecting to that Page, so you will start to see its stories in your Newsfeed. Newsfeed – continuous list of Posts in the middle of your homepage. This includes status updates, photos, videos, links, App activities, and Likes from the people, Pages, and Groups you are associated with. Beese J. Your Handy Guide to Facebook Marketing Terms [Internet]. SproutSocial 2015 Feb 17. Available from: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-terminology-glossary/ |
The Newsfeed The focal point of a Facebook Page is the Newsfeed. The Newsfeed is comprised of a continuous stream of Posts. The Newsfeed utilizes the infinite scroll functionality that has become a popular trend in recent web design. New Posts will populate as long as the user continues to scroll. This is a strategy that entices users to stay on the Page longer. Here is the organization of a Facebook Page Newsfeed and a Post. Facebook Page Structure:  Creative Bloq Staff. Web deign trends 2015-16: the long scroll [Internet]. CreativeBloq 2015 Aug 24. Available from: http://www.creativebloq.com/web-design/web-design-trends-2015-16-long-scroll-81516343 |
The Newsfeed The focal point of a Facebook Page is the Newsfeed. The Newsfeed is comprised of a continuous stream of Posts. The Newsfeed utilizes the infinite scroll functionality that has become a popular trend in recent web design. New Posts will populate as long as the user continues to scroll. This is a strategy that entices users to stay on the Page longer. Here is the organization of a Facebook Page Newsfeed and a Post. Facebook Post Structure:  Creative Bloq Staff. Web deign trends 2015-16: the long scroll [Internet]. CreativeBloq 2015 Aug 24. Available from: http://www.creativebloq.com/web-design/web-design-trends-2015-16-long-scroll-81516343 |
How It Works Facebook’s intuitive platform allows users to share and receive information with other individuals, businesses, and groups. The user can indicate their interests and connect by Liking other Facebook Pages. In this screenshot, you can see trending topics on the right of the interface. This list is generated by topics and hashtags that have recently spiked popularity on Facebook. This list is personalized based on your location, Pages you’ve liked, and what’s trending across Facebook. In this example, “radiology” search results were populated. By Liking the suggested Pages, the user will see Posts from these groups in their Newsfeed.  |
How It Works Facebook’s intuitive platform allows users to share and receive information with other individuals, businesses, and groups. The user can indicate their interests and connect by Liking other Facebook Pages. In this screenshot, you can see trending topics on the right of the interface. This list is generated by topics and hashtags that have recently spiked popularity on Facebook. This list is personalized based on your location, Pages you’ve liked, and what’s trending across Facebook. The user also has the ability to filter their search results and customize what they want to include or exclude in their search query.  |
How It Works By Liking a Post in your Newsfeed, you are indicating positive feedback. Once you Like a Post, people you Follow will also see the Post in their Newsfeed. As more users engage with the Post, the Post Reach will increase and be seen by more users. As users see your content for the first time, they may choose to Like your Page or Post which expands your network. DID YOU KNOW: For a Post to be considered “viral” it needs to been viewed an upwards of 500 million times. Post Reach:  |
How is Facebook performance measured? Facebook provides a detailed analytics tool called Insights. It allows the user to measure success at the the Page level and the Post level. The analytics tool also provides user demographics and geographic data. The Post data identifies if a Post is successful. Elevated engagement and reach indicates Facebook users found your Post interesting. To better understand Insights, Followers, Likes, Reach, Shares, Engagements, and Post Clicks will be defined. Defining Facebook Insights FOLLOWERS: The number of users that Like your Facebook Page. Once a user Likes your Page, they will see your Posts in their Newsfeed. By Following your Page, the user indicates they are interested in your Page and want to see your Posts. LIKES: Clicking Like is a way to give positive feedback and connect with things you care about. When you Like something, the action appears as an update on your Timeline. Liking a Post means you were interested in what a friend was talking about. Liking a Page means you’re connecting to that Page, so you’ll start to see its stories in your Newsfeed. Users indicate a Like by clicking the “thumbs up” button. |
How is Facebook performance measured? Facebook provides a detailed analytics tool called Insights. It allows the user to measure success at the the Page level and the Post level. The analytics tool also provides user demographics and geographic data. The Post data identifies if a Post is successful. Elevated engagement and reach indicates Facebook users found your Post interesting. To better understand Insights, Followers, Likes, Reach, Shares, Engagements, and Post Clicks will be defined. REACH: The number of people who saw your Post in their Newsfeed. Every time you Like a Post, that Post appears in the Newsfeed of the users who follow you.  SHARES: This is a feature on Posts that allows you to repost content. By clicking the “share” button at the bottom of a Post, the options pop-up to Share on your timeline, a friend’s timeline, or in a personal message. As a Post is shared, it is served to more users and the reach increases. |
How is Facebook performance measured? ENGAGEMENTS: Each click on the Post is counted as one engagement. A single user can have multiple engagements on a single Post. There are four types of engagements: Reaction: Clicking an emotion; you can only select one emotion per post (“like”, “love”, “haha”, “wow”, “sad”, “angry”)  Comment: Posting in the comment box beneath the Post. Comments are public; everyone who sees the Post can see your comment.  Share: Clicking the share button sends the Post to the user’s network to see. You can select to share to your friends, as a private message, to a friend’s timeline, or to Page. (PRO TIP: more shares = more reach)  Post Click: Clicking anywhere on the Post (this includes the three engagements types listed above). |
Facebook for Medical Education The use of Facebook for education encourages collaborative learning, strengthens peer connections, and a forum to share educational resources. One study shows 97% of 454 medical professionals surveyed use Facebook for personal and professional purposes. Outside of academia, social media is being used as a news source by 62% of Americans. This elevated number infers people are finding social media as a trustworthy source.  Anam A. Medical Students’ use of Facebook for educational purposes. Perspect Med Educ. 2016 Jun;5(3):163-9. Bosslet GT, Torke AM, Hickman SE, Terry CL, Helft R. The patient-doctor relationship and online social networks: results of a national survey. J Gen Intern Med. 2011;26:1168–74. Gottfried J, Shearer E. News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2016. Pew Research Center. May 2016 |
Facebook for Medical Education While Facebook Insights provides a lot of useful data, it does not identify user professions. However, independent studies show the medical community is present on Facebook. We believe accessibility to social media has contributed to the increased usage. Mobile devices are equipped with the social applications and institutions are supporting the trend by managing their own Facebook Pages. "Nearly a third of physicians have reported participating in Facebook. However, both personal and professional use of social media by physicians is increasing." Ashammakhi N. Dissemination of Information: From the Stone Age to the Social Media of Facebook. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. 28(7):1645-1646,Oct 2017 |
Facebook for Medical Education While Facebook Insights provides a lot of useful data, it does not identify user professions. However, independent studies show the medical community is present on Facebook. We believe accessibility to social media has contributed to the increased usage. Mobile devices are equipped with the social applications and institutions are supporting the trend by managing their own Facebook Pages. "SoMe [Social Media] is gradually displacing the more traditional communication methods such as fax, e-mail, and even phone calls, a trend that is accelerated by the widespread use of mobile devices equipped with SoMe applications." Ranschaert ER, van Ooijen PMA, Lee S, Ratib O, Parizel PM. Social media for radiologists: an introduction. Insights into Imaging. 2015;6(6):741-752. doi:10.1007/s13244-015-0430-0. |
Who is using Facebook for Medical Education? Facebook Pages are beneficial to both the professional group and the user. Institutions and organizations on Facebook are able to easily reach a massive number of users to provide communications from updates to event information. Individuals who follow the professional Pages have access to the top educators and leaders all over the world. This is a new level of connection and communication in the digital age of education. AuntMinnie.com  |
Who is using Facebook for Medical Education? Facebook Pages are beneficial to both the professional group and the user. Institutions and organizations on Facebook are able to easily reach a massive number of users to provide communications from updates to event information. Individuals who follow the professional Pages have access to the top educators and leaders all over the world. This is a new level of connection and communication in the digital age of education. Penn Radiology  |
Who is using Facebook for Medical Education? Facebook Pages are beneficial to both the professional group and the user. Institutions and organizations on Facebook are able to easily reach a massive number of users to provide communications from updates to event information. Individuals who follow the professional Pages have access to the top educators and leaders all over the world. This is a new level of connection and communication in the digital age of education. CTisus  |
Why Facebook? The CTisus Facebook Page was started in 2013 as a supplement to the educational website: CTisus.com. Facebook provided CTisus with an opportunity to engage users in a less formal manner. While the website content is strictly radiology related, the Facebook Page includes radiology content as well as relevant non-radiology resources. CTisus’ strategy is to connect and build relationships on Facebook in hopes to drive traffic to CTisus.com, a more formal educational resource. Strategy Facebook is used for personal and professional reasons. CTisus’ Facebook page blurs that line while the website, CTisus.com is strictly professional. Posting original medical content is the majority of CTisus’ Posts, while the remainder satisfy the use of social media as a news source and helps retain user interest. Publishing a high volume of Posts means CTisus is regularly in our Followers newsfeed. By being in the forefront, we hope the users remember to visit CTisus.com when looking for a more formal Body CT resource. |
A Global Medical Education Since inception, the CTisus Facebook Page has over 184,000 Followers worldwide (indicated by Page Follows). CTisus shares both medical and non-medical information to its followers reaching upwards of 150,000 people per week. In these charts you can see the demographics of CTisus’ Facebook users. The countries listed the right are the top 10 of at least 50 countries. Facebook’s data does not specify more than 50 countries although we know the number is much higher based on Google’s data from our website. CTisus has over 184,000 Facebook Followers worldwide.  |
What type of educational material can be presented on Facebook? - Videos - Links - Photos - Text (also known as Status) According to Insights, videos are CTisus’ top performing Post type. Facebook added auto play functionality in 2013. The video plays as the user scrolls to it in their newsfeed and stops when they scroll past. CTisus averages 25 posts a day varying the content and post type. Video Posts include video case studies, 3D renderings, and lectures. Link Posts are to articles related to medicine, current events, practice management, and business. Photo Posts include medical illustrations, patient case studies, and images. Text (or Status) Posts refer to pearl, factoid, and CTisus updates. |
Post Sample 1: VIDEO Post Performance: 12,550 people reached 2,748 video views 83 reactions 877 post clicks 37 shares  |
Post Sample 2: LIVE VIDEO Post Performance: 12,912 people reached 3,887 video views 166 reactions 1,149 post clicks 11 shares  |
Post Sample 3: TEXT (STATUS) Post Performance: Pearl of the Day Left: 8,060 people reached Right: 1,943 people reached Management Tip of the Day Left: 6,374 people reached Right: 10,526 people reached  |
Post Sample 4: PHOTO Post Performance: 30,349 people reached 389 reactions 255 shares  |
Post Sample 5: LINK Post Performance: 9,037 people reached 61 reactions 11 shares  |
The Medical Community is Present on Facebook Facebook users are not only following but also engaging with the industry leaders and educators in the radiology community.  |
The Medical Community is Present on Facebook Mayo Clinic: 1,023,183 Page Likes  |
The Medical Community is Present on Facebook Johns Hopkins Medicine: 574,975 Page Likes  |
Reaching the Global Radiology Community With 80% of CTisus’ followers residing out of the United States, Post time is a consideration when developing a posting strategy. The vast time difference of our users makes it challenging to reach everyone. CTisus utilizes Facebook’s user behavior analytics and scheduling tool to maximize the potential Post reach. Fan Patterns Insights provides analytics on the usage behavior of CTisus fans over the last week. The table below shows the peak online time for their fans is around noon (EST) on weekends.  |
Reaching the Global Radiology Community With 80% of CTisus’ followers residing out of the United States, Post time is a consideration when developing a posting strategy. The vast time difference of our users makes it challenging to reach everyone. CTisus utilizes Facebook’s user behavior analytics and scheduling tool to maximize the potential Post reach. Scheduling Posts While some posts are time-sensitive and best shared in the moment, there are other Posts that can be scheduled. CTisus’ Post management strategy finds a balance between the two. Facebook allows the user to schedule Posts 10 minutes in the future and within 6 months from when the Post is created. A case study video is an example of a Post that can be scheduled in advance. Unlike this time sensitive Post example to the right: This article announcing a medical advance would not be as relative to our audience if shared at a later date. |
New Facebook developments that aid in the dissemination of medical education. - Gallery Posts - Calls to action button - Facebook Live Gallery Posts: Publishing multiple images at once. CTisus utilizes this feature to showcase multiple images in a series that may otherwise be less effectively received if posted independently. These images would be interrupted by other Posts in the user’s Newsfeed if they were not grouped in a Gallery Post.  |
New Facebook developments that aid in the dissemination of medical education. - Gallery Posts - Calls to action button - Facebook Live Calls to Action Button: A newsletter sign-up button within Facebook promotes access to more information. By clicking the “Sign-up” button in Facebook, the user can subscribe to CTisus’ biweekly newsletter. The newsletter contains updates and new content on CTisus.com. This feature provides the user with easy access to more information. It is also beneficial to CTisus from a marketing standpoint and aids in our goal to drive traffic back to our Website. This button is a free feature for all business and group Pages. This feature is not available on personal Pages.  |
New Facebook developments that aid in the dissemination of medical education. - Gallery Posts - Calls to action button - Facebook Live Facebook Live: A real-time video broadcast tool. CTisus hosts a Live session once a week for 15 minutes discussing a topic relevant to body CT. The presenter monitors comments and can verbally answers questions posted throughout the Live feed. Once the Live feed has ended the Post is published the Page like a standard video Post. Users have the opportunity to continue the dialogue in the comment portion of the Post once the Live feed has ended. This feature automatically engages your computer’s built-in camera; only the host can be seen, viewers can watch and comment. This tool is available to everyone 24/7/365 at no cost to the viewer or presenter. |
The added value of Facebook Live for medical education CTisus started broadcasting Live on Facebook in March 2017. It provides a high quality output with very little preparation and render time. The feedback from users who watch the Live Post have been positive. Users are more likely to comment on the Live Post than on a standard video Post which aids in CTisus’ goal of engaging with users.
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What does it take to develop a successful presence on Facebook for education? There is no cost associated with acquiring a Facebook account or using the application but to manage a Facebook Page it requires content and manpower. The content posted to Facebook is public and free to view, CTisus does not receive any monetization from their Facebook Page. Resources : CONTENT CTisus’ Facebook Page is comprised of wide range of content including both original and shared content from a variety of reputable sources. CTisus Followers have come accustomed to seeing an average of 25 Posts a day in their Newsfeed. Original Content: Images, videos, and status updates containing the following: case studies, lecture video clips, medical illustrations, quizzes, Facebook Live, upcoming CME course information, announcements, and CTisus updates. Shared Content: Links and status updates from reputable sources including: current events, motivational quotes, management tips, industry news, pearls, medical articles, and inspirational articles |
What does it take to develop a successful presence on Facebook for education? There is no cost associated with acquiring a Facebook account or using the application but to manage a Facebook Page it requires content and manpower. The content posted to Facebook is public and free to view, CTisus does not receive any monetization from their Facebook Page. Resources : MANPOWER It takes a team of people to create, curate, post, and monitor the CTisus Facebook Page. All of the medical illustrations, lectures, case studies, and recorded cases are created by the CTisus team.
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Limitations Facebook has become an an invaluable tool for CTisus to reach the global radiology community and has proven to be an incredible asset to CTisus.com. However, there are some limitations to using Facebook as a vehicle for medical education.
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Conclusion As Facebook’s global popularity continues to grow and usage among medical professionals increases, Facebook has the potential to provide medical education to the masses. Its availability and ease of use makes it an ideal medium to disseminate medical information globally. With the proper content and manpower, CTisus successfully manages a Facebook Page and provides access to educational material for Radiology professionals worldwide. By closely monitoring Facebook Insights, CTisus is able to track Post performance and develop a strategy based on the results. CTisus’ Facebook Page Success
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Acknowledgements
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