How we use social media to supplement a novel curriculum in medical education

David P. BahnerThe Ohio State University, USA; DAVID BAHNER, MD, is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Ultrasound Director at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He is also the Director of The Honors Ultrasound Longitudinal Elective for which the Twitter curriculum was designed. In 2010, he was named Professor of the Year for the OSU College of Medicine.Correspondence[email protected]

Eric AdkinsThe Ohio State University, USA; ERIC ADKINS, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He is board certified in Pulmonary/Critical Care. Dr Adkins helped with curricular design and tweet production.

Nilesh PatelThe Ohio State University, USA; NILESH PATEL, MD, is a Post Graduate Year 1 (Intern) in Emergency Medicine at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He spear-headed the development of the Twitter curriculum and is the tech expert of the group.

Chad DonleyThe Ohio State University, USA; CHAD DONLEY, MD, is a Chief Resident in Emergency Medicine at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Chad wrote many of the daily tweets that were posted to Twuffer and helped with curriculum development.

Rollin NagelThe Ohio State University, USA; ROLLIN NAGEL, PhD, is a Clinical Professor and Education Resource Specialist at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He works for the Center for Education and Scholarship and assisted with statistical design and manuscript drafting.

Nicholas E. KmanThe Ohio State University, USA; NICHOLAS E. KMAN, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Director of the Emergency Medicine Clerkship. He helped with curricular development, study design, and manuscript drafting.

Abstract

Background: The millennial learner is reliant on technology to gain knowledge. Social media in the form of Twitter and Facebook provide a unique way to reach these learners.

Aims: To demonstrate a supplement to a curriculum using “push technology” via Twitter and Facebook to deliver educational content to mobile devices.

Methods: A curriculum consisting of high-yield ultrasound concepts was developed and posted to Twitter @EDUltrasound daily. Followers received tweets “pushed” directly to their mobile devices. Following the year-long program, followers were surveyed regarding the program's effectiveness. To determine the ways in which tweets were reaching users, followers were categorized demographically.

Results: Daily “tweets” were posted each morning beginning on July 1, 2010. By the end of the year, there were 87 followers on Twitter and 78 on Facebook. The majority of followers (55.6%) had not previously used Twitter. The majority of followers (88.9%) found Twitter user-friendly, while most (81.5%) found the information useful.

Conclusions: Due to ease of use and widespread applicability, Twitter and Facebook are excellent applications of “push technology” as a means to deliver educational content. This pilot project demonstrates the potential of social media to both supplement and enhance traditional educational methods.

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