Abstract
BackgroundPatients often look to social media as an important tool to gather information about institutions and professionals. Since 1990, United States News and World Report (USNWR) has published annual rankings of hospitals and subspecialty divisions. It remains unknown if social media presence is associated with the USNWR gastroenterology and gastrointestinal (GI) surgery divisional rankings, or how changes in online presence over time affects division ranking.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine if social media presence is associated with USNWR gastroenterology and GI surgery divisional rankings and to ascertain how changes in online presence over time affect division rankings.MethodsSocial media presence among the top 30 institutions listed in the 2014 USNWR gastroenterology and GI surgery divisional rankings were assessed using Pearson’s correlation coefficients and multivariate analysis, controlling for covariates. Linear and logistic regression using data from 2014 and 2016 USNWR rankings were then used to assess the association between institutional ranking or reputation score with any potential changes in numbers of followers over time. Sensitivity analysis was performed by assessing the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve to determine the follower threshold associated with improved or maintained ranking, which was done by dichotomizing changes in followers at values between the 7000 and 12,000 follower mark.ResultsTwitter follower count was an independent predictor of divisional ranking (β=.00004; P<.001) and reputation score (β=–.00002; P=.03) in 2014. Academic affiliation also independently predicted USNWR division ranking (β=5.3; P=.04) and reputation score (β=–7.3; P=.03). Between 2014 and 2016, Twitter followers remained significantly associated with improved or maintained rankings (OR 14.63; 95% CI 1.08-197.81; P=.04). On sensitivity analysis, an 8000 person increase in Twitter followers significantly predicted improved or maintained rankings compared to other cutoffs.ConclusionsInstitutional social media presence is independently associated with USNWR divisional ranking and reputation score. Improvement in social media following was also independently associated with improved or maintained divisional ranking and reputation score, with a threshold of 8000 additional followers as the best predictor of improved or stable ranking.
Highlights
Willingness to share informa‐ tion depends on trust
According to PwC’s consumer survey of 1,060 U.S adults, about one-third of consumers are using the social space as a natural habitat for health discussions
Social media typically consists of four characteristics that have changed the nature of interactions among people and organizations: user generated content, community, rapid distribution, and open, two-way dialogue
Summary
According to PwC’s consumer survey of 1,060 U.S adults, about one-third of consumers are using the social space as a natural habitat for health discussions. OneRecovery is an example of a company that has created a consumer model that uses the mobile phone to connect individuals with a community of people who share their experiences This type of program can scale up self care without necessarily scaling up traditional medical resources. Consumer survey respondents said they would be most likely to trust information posted via social media from providers (doctors, hospitals), and would be most likely to share information with providers via social media, over health insurance or drug companies. While medical technology companies will disseminate information via their product sites, very few have engaged with patients due to regulatory concerns.[7] Healthcare providers have the ability to form human relationships and connections with their patients, which leads to increased trust
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