ABSTRACT
Objective: To describe the use of social media by the Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) of Neurology to expand and engage readers in research and educational content. Background: Social media is used by medical journals to disseminate health research [1], a practice more common since the COVID-19 pandemic. Delivering educational materials and engaging readership through social media may also be used to educate trainees. Design/Methods: In January 2019, the RFS developed and implemented a strategy for disseminating educational materials through Instagram. The initiative expanded to Facebook and Twitter in January 2020 and February 2020, respectively. Each post highlighted a recent RFS publication, summarized the key teaching point, and included key images and/or videos when appropriate. In June 2020, posts were expanded to include interactive quizzes to maximize audience engagement. Posts were shared in the American Academy of Neurology's (AAN) social media accounts. Reach and readership engagement were measured by tracking social media account users and average engagement. Results: From January 2019 to October 2020, 70 posts were delivered across three social media platforms: 54 were Teaching (Video) NeuroImages, 6 Pearls and Oy-sters, 7 e-Pearls, 2 Mystery Cases, and 1 Child Neurology post. Over this time, social media followers increased on all platforms: 312.5% on Instagram, 12.9% on Twitter, 10% on Facebook. On Twitter, there was an increase in impressions (74.5%), engagements (121%), and post link clicks (38.7%). On Facebook, there was a 34.6% increase in total engagements. Overall, teaching Video NeuroImages produced the highest level of engagement. Posts with polls and/or quizzes were well received by audience on all platforms and also received high levels of participation. Conclusions: The RFS successfully used social media to increase visibility of trainee publications and deliver educational content. Content with interactivity (e.g., quizzes) and that included patient videos tended to produce the most engagement.