0943 Sleep Medicine Tweet-by-Tweet, an Electronic Platform for Collaborative Medical Education

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Twitter is a novel and accessible platform for the dissemination of medical education, and it is used by many medical practitioners (1). Many physicians have used Twitter as a means of meeting continuing medical education needs. This can manifest as Twitter-based Journal Clubs, curated conference data and webinars (2). Methods I have created a Sleep Medicine Medical Education Twitter account @SleepyNeuroDoc to share complex cases in all areas of sleep medicine, including sleep-disordered breathing, movement disorders in sleep, circadian rhythm disorders and nocturnal epilepsy. I share notable images of polysomnogram outputs, home sleep apnea tests, compliance data, neuro-imaging, electroencephalogram, cardiopulmonary coupling and more. This digital education platform allows rapid circulation of unique cases and promotes in-depth scholarly discussion, with no geographical limit. Polls are conducted for complex topics to facilitate knowledge exchange and consumer engagement. This educational twitter is followed by the entire spectrum of professions within the sleep medicine care team, including physicians, allied health, and researchers. To date, there are 40 cases posted. Results We conducted online questionnaires with consumers of this Twitter account, and the results so far indicate greater practitioner comfort with management of various sleep medicine conditions. Some consumers report having changed their approach to practice. Conclusion Our work suggests that this unique use of a social medical platform is beneficial for continuing medical education and knowledge exchange in the field of Sleep Medicine.