@Article{info:doi/10.2196/24448,
author="Panda, Ananya
and Sharma, Akash
and Dundar, Ayca
and Packard, Ann
and Aase, Lee
and Kotsenas, Amy
and Kendi, Ayse Tuba",
title="Twitter Use by Academic Nuclear Medicine Programs: Pilot Content Analysis Study",
journal="JMIR Form Res",
year="2021",
month="Nov",
day="8",
volume="5",
number="11",
pages="e24448",
keywords="social media; Twitter; radiology; nuclear medicine; nuclear radiology; social network; medical education; networking",
abstract="Background: There is scant insight into the presence of nuclear medicine (NM) and nuclear radiology (NR) programs on social media. Objective: Our purpose was to assess Twitter engagement by academic NM/NR programs in the United States. Methods: We measured Twitter engagement by the academic NM/NR community, accounting for various NM/NR certification pathways. The Twitter presence of NM/NR programs at both the department and program director level was identified. Tweets by programs were cross-referenced against potential high-yield NM- or NR-related hashtags, and tabulated at a binary level. A brief survey was done to identify obstacles and benefits to Twitter use by academic NM/NR faculty. Results: For 2019-2020, 88 unique programs in the United States offered NM/NR certification pathways. Of these, 52{\%} (46/88) had Twitter accounts and 24{\%} (21/88) had at least one post related to NM/NR. Only three radiology departments had unique Twitter accounts for the NM/molecular imaging division. Of the other 103 diagnostic radiology residency programs, only 16{\%} (16/103) had a presence on Twitter and 5{\%} (5/103) had tweets about NM/NR. Only 9{\%} (8/88) of NM/NR program directors were on Twitter, and three program directors tweeted about NM/NR. The survey revealed a lack of clarity and resources around using Twitter, although respondents acknowledged the perceived value of Twitter engagement for attracting younger trainees. Conclusions: Currently, there is minimal Twitter engagement by the academic NM/NR community. The perceived value of Twitter engagement is counterbalanced by identifiable obstacles. Given radiologists' overall positive views of social media's usefulness, scant social media engagement by the NM community may represent a missed opportunity. More Twitter engagement and further research by trainees and colleagues should be encouraged, as well as the streamlined use of unique hashtags. ",
issn="2561-326X",
doi="10.2196/24448",
url="https://formative.jmir.org/2021/11/e24448",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/24448",
url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34747708"
}