258
Correspondence / Digestive and Liver Disease 47 (2015) 256–259
Ibrahim Kalouche Patrick Merlin Verdun Hospital, Verdun, France Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet ∗ Inserm U954 and Department of Hepato-Gastroenterology, Lorraine University, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France ∗ Corresponding
author at: Inserm U954 and Department of Hepato-Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Nancy Allée du Morvan, 54511 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France. Tel.: +33 3 83 15 36 31; fax: +33 3 83 15 36 33. E-mail address: [email protected] (L. Peyrin-Biroulet) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dld.2014.11.001
Impact of social media on Gastroenterologists in the United States Dear Editor, Social media or networking refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks [1–5]. Social media depends on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and communities share user-generated content. Several established global social media companies include Facebook®, Twitter®, and LinkedIn®. All major American academic gastroenterological and endoscopic societies currently have active Facebook pages (Table 1), including the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), and the Society
Table 1 Popularity status of major academic gastroenterological societies in the United States on Facebook® (website data accessed on August 8, 2013). Major GI societies in US
Numbers of “likes”
Affiliated official publications
Numbers of “likes”
American Gastroenterological Association (AGA)
4808
6955 & 5541
American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Digestive Disease Week® (DDW)
1073
Gastroenterology & Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology American Journal of Gastroenterology Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Hepatology
N/A
Surgical Endoscopy
25
2669
1401
10,045
3433
N/A
1975
N/A
N/A: The Facebook® page was not available. Like: anything you want and share it with your friends on Facebook®.
of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). In addition, their affiliated official publications host active Facebook pages and regularly release the “latest news,” blogs, and other content each month. In this study, we were interested in assessing if Gastroenterologists in the United States (US) are currently utilizing social media for healthcare-related activities and what attitudes they had toward social media in healthcare. An email containing and electronic invitation to participate in the survey study was sent to 6600 Gastroenterologists and 183 GI fellowship program directors (a hyperlinked survey website: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J52SPRP). A large percentage of emails to the individual Gastroenterologists were non-deliverable: 2791 (42.3%). 265 invitees completed the survey. The majority of study participants were not interested in social media as a way to obtain continuing medical education. 82.1% of respondents did not access these societies’ social media pages for educational materials. 47.7% of Gastroenterologists never utilized any form of social media. 118 respondents (45.6%) reported that they did not have any active account. 30.7% (81) responders allocated
Correspondence / Digestive and Liver Disease 47 (2015) 256–259
Ibrahim Kalouche Patrick Merlin Verdun Hospital, Verdun, France Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet ∗ Inserm U954 and Department of Hepato-Gastroenterology, Lorraine University, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France ∗ Corresponding
author at: Inserm U954 and Department of Hepato-Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Nancy Allée du Morvan, 54511 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France. Tel.: +33 3 83 15 36 31; fax: +33 3 83 15 36 33. E-mail address: [email protected] (L. Peyrin-Biroulet) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dld.2014.11.001
Impact of social media on Gastroenterologists in the United States Dear Editor, Social media or networking refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks [1–5]. Social media depends on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and communities share user-generated content. Several established global social media companies include Facebook®, Twitter®, and LinkedIn®. All major American academic gastroenterological and endoscopic societies currently have active Facebook pages (Table 1), including the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), and the Society
Table 1 Popularity status of major academic gastroenterological societies in the United States on Facebook® (website data accessed on August 8, 2013). Major GI societies in US
Numbers of “likes”
Affiliated official publications
Numbers of “likes”
American Gastroenterological Association (AGA)
4808
6955 & 5541
American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Digestive Disease Week® (DDW)
1073
Gastroenterology & Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology American Journal of Gastroenterology Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Hepatology
N/A
Surgical Endoscopy
25
2669
1401
10,045
3433
N/A
1975
N/A
N/A: The Facebook® page was not available. Like: anything you want and share it with your friends on Facebook®.
of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). In addition, their affiliated official publications host active Facebook pages and regularly release the “latest news,” blogs, and other content each month. In this study, we were interested in assessing if Gastroenterologists in the United States (US) are currently utilizing social media for healthcare-related activities and what attitudes they had toward social media in healthcare. An email containing and electronic invitation to participate in the survey study was sent to 6600 Gastroenterologists and 183 GI fellowship program directors (a hyperlinked survey website: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J52SPRP). A large percentage of emails to the individual Gastroenterologists were non-deliverable: 2791 (42.3%). 265 invitees completed the survey. The majority of study participants were not interested in social media as a way to obtain continuing medical education. 82.1% of respondents did not access these societies’ social media pages for educational materials. 47.7% of Gastroenterologists never utilized any form of social media. 118 respondents (45.6%) reported that they did not have any active account. 30.7% (81) responders allocated
