%0 Journal Article
%@ 2561-326X
%I JMIR Publications
%V 5
%N 11
%P e24448
%T Twitter Use by Academic Nuclear Medicine Programs: Pilot Content Analysis Study
%A Panda,Ananya
%A Sharma,Akash
%A Dundar,Ayca
%A Packard,Ann
%A Aase,Lee
%A Kotsenas,Amy
%A Kendi,Ayse Tuba
%+ Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, United States, 1 612 408 9737, kendi.ayse@mayo.edu
%K social media
%K Twitter
%K radiology
%K nuclear medicine
%K nuclear radiology
%K social network
%K medical education
%K networking
%D 2021
%7 8.11.2021
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Form Res
%G English
%X 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. 
%M 34747708
%R 10.2196/24448
%U https://formative.jmir.org/2021/11/e24448
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/24448
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34747708