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  • Social Media’s Role for Ophthalmologists

    By Lynda Seminara
    Selected by Prem S. Subramanian, MD, PhD
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    Journal Highlights

    Clinical Ophthalmology
    2022;16:2263-2274

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    Use of social media by physicians sky­rocketed during the COVID-19 pan­demic, prompting He et al. to explore its role in networking, mentorship, and support among the ophthalmology community. Findings of their cross-sectional survey showed that social media is a key tool to enhance professional and personal growth for ophthal­mologists, especially women, trainees, and young surgeons.

    The authors developed and distrib­uted a 40-item questionnaire to active users of social media. All responses were anonymous. The survey addressed the domains of career planning/ad­vancement, workplace dynamics, prac­tice management, financial planning, work-life harmony, parenting, and mentorship. Collected demographics included gender, race, age, career stage, number of children, and marital status.

    Of the 149 respondents, 67% were women, and 56% were 25 to 35 years of age. Women were more likely than men to report workplace discrimination (p < .005) and work-life imbalance (p < .05). Compared with men, women found social media more helpful for overcoming challenges related to work­place discrimination (p < .01), work-life disharmony (p < .001), parenting (p < .0001), and mentorship (p < .05). Ophthalmologists under 45 years of age cited more challenges than older ophthalmologists in regard to practice management (p < .005) and more often turned to social media for guidance (p < .05). Trainees were more likely than seasoned ophthalmologists to experi­ence difficulties in career development (p < .05), practice management (p < .0001), and financial planning (p < .05), and they found social media more beneficial for financial education (p < .05). Qualitative analysis of free-form responses revealed a mix of positive and negative attitudes toward ophthal­mology-related social media.

    This study suggests that social media is an important venue for community building and education in ophthalmol­ogy. The authors recommend exploring patterns of social media use among underrepresented individuals in oph­thalmology to ensure inclusivity.

    The original article can be found here.