ABSTRACT
Objective: To understand the impact of a novel social media guide, #HowToNeuroTwitter, on how neurology applicants and residency programs utilize Twitter throughout the 2020-2021 neurology residency application process. Background: Due to COVID-19 and the unprecedented changes to neurology residency interview season, a team of neurology trainees initiated a grassroots effort to highlight #NeuroTwitterNetwork through the creation of a comprehensive guide: #HowToNeuroTwitter. Design/Methods: Participants self-enrolled through a publicly available virtual form, recruited through Twitter, alternative social media platforms, and online forums. The first edition of the #HowToNeuroTwitter guide was published in August 2020. Results: The first edition of the #HowToNeuroTwitter Guide featured 462 registered users, composed of 122 medical students, 158 neurology residents/fellows, and 182 attending physicians. The guide launched on August 9th, 2020 in a Twitter post generating 29,874 impressions, 4,443 engagements, 1,242 link clicks, 207 likes, and 160 retweets. A unique hyperlink, "bit.ly/NeuroTwitterNetwork" allowing for monitoring of guide utilization, is currently at >1800 interactions. Following inaugural release, a utilization survey was completed by 31 individuals with 30 of 31 rating the guide >/= 8 out of 10. Respondents stated primary uses of the guide included identifying other neurologists, medical education leaders, and neurological organization Twitter accounts with which to interact. A noted correlation following the release of the #HowToNeuroTwitter guide and amplification of the "#NeuroTwitterNetwork" hashtag was the increase by 204% of neurology residency programs (n=24 to n=73) and 142% of 4th year US medical students self-identifying as neurology applicants (n=29 to n=70) on Twitter. Conclusions: A trainee driven initiative to increase Twitter utilization as a networking, recruitment, and educational tool has led to the creation of a novel social media guide, spurring the utilization of Twitter by neurologists. Given our demonstration of feasibility and reach, national organizations in neurology should consider adopting this activity to advocate for medical students considering neurology training.
ABSTRACT
Objective: We sought to utilize the networking, education, and information-sharing capabilities of Twitter and Instagram to support participants of the 2021 neurology residency application cycle. The @NMatch2021 Twitter and Instagram accounts were created to leverage these characteristics and provide centralized resources. Background: The National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) Main Residency Match is a high stakes process for prospective candidates and residency programs. The COVID-19 pandemic posed several challenges to this already complex process. On March 17, 2020, the Association of American Medical Colleges released an official statement urging medical institutions to halt medical education temporarily. On May 11, 2020, the Coalition for Physician Accountability made a statement discouraging away rotations for the 2020-21 academic year and in-person interviews for the 2021 NRMP. With these changes, social media became a new platform for students to build connections with peers and educators, and for residency programs to recruit. Design/Methods: @NMatch2021 was founded on Twitter on June 28, 2020, and on Instagram on September 9, 2020. These accounts served as centralized platforms for education, communication, and resource sharing between a community of prospective applicants, residents, and faculty in neurology. Results: As of September 20, 2020, @NMatch2021 Twitter had 1,439 followers composed of 1,332 individual accounts and 107 residency programs with 2,414 tweets, generating a total of 763,300 impressions. The @NMatch2021 Instagram account had 624 followers composed of 505 personal accounts and 119 residency programs, with 31,263 total views. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid increase in the quantity of information shared on social media, which will likely continue in future residency application cycles. In this setting, the feasibility, utility, and widespread reach of the @NMatch2021 initiative has been demonstrated, and outlines a framework for similar social media initiatives to provide valuable resources for years to come.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To describe the neurological disorders associated with COVID-19 in Singapore. Background: Various neurological disorders have been reported in COVID-19 patients. Postulated mechanisms include hypercoagulopathy, dysimmunity, inflammation and direct viral invasion. The incidence and relationship to SARS-CoV-2, considering the confounding effect of a surge in COVID-19 cases on healthcare systems, are unclear. Design/Methods: This was a prospective, nation-wide, multi-centre, cohort study of patients with microbiologically-confirmed COVID-19 referred for any neurological complaints With in 3 months of infection. Neurological diagnoses and relationship to COVID-19 were made by consensus guided by contemporaneous published case definitions. Results: Between March-July 2020, 47,572 patients [median age 34 (1-102) years, 98% males] were diagnosed with COVID-19 in Singapore. Of 90 patients referred for neurological disorders, 39 [median age 41 (27-73) years, 97% males] were deemed related to COVID-19 and categorised as: i) Central nervous system syndromes - 3 encephalitis, 1 acute disseminated encephalomyelitis;ii) Cerebrovascular disorders - 19 acute ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack (AIS/TIA), 4 cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) and 2 intracerebral haemorrhage;iii) Peripheral nervous system - 7 mono/polyneuropathy;iv) Autonomic nervous system - 4 limited dysautonomia. Fifty-one other patients had pre/co-existent neurological conditions (headache, seizure, mononeuropathies and functional neurological disorders) unrelated to COVID-19. Encephalitis is delayed, occurring in critical COVID-19, while CVT and dysautonomia occurred relatively early and largely in mild infections. AIS/TIA was variable in onset;remarkably 63.2% had asymptomatic COVID-19. CVT was more frequent than expected and occurred in patients with mild/asymptomatic COVID-19. The pathophysiology of COVID-19 neurology appeared to be dysimmunity and/or prothrombotic tendency. There were no neurological complications in all 81 paediatric COVID-19 cases. Conclusions: COVID-19 neurology has a wide spectrum of dysimmune-thrombotic disorders. The relatively few cases recorded was probably because our outbreak affected mainly healthy young men with mild/asymptomatic COVID-19 and the pandemic did not unduly affect the Singapore healthcare system.