Social Media as a Strategy for Continuing Education in Brazil

Abstract

Healthcare professionals use social media for various reasons, including education and professional development. In the era of evidence-based medicine, information flow is a highly dynamic process, and social media might be a tool to increase access to high-quality, updated information. However, most radiation oncology-related content is provided in English, precluding those without English proficiency from accessing them. Therefore, we aim to describe our experience as the first independent (not related to professional societies) Instagram profile dedicated to Radiation Oncology in Brazil. Instagram is one of the most used social media platforms in Brazil and thus was chosen for the @radioteraquiz profile. Posts were developed by a Radiation Oncologist, with support from other specialists, and were all written in Portuguese. Themes included Radiation Oncology principles, key theory concepts review, classical landmark clinical trials, and literature and societies meetings updates. In addition, the profile also engaged in interactive activities such as lives and stories based on user questions. Highlights were created to share learning resources, answer the most frequently asked questions, and raise awareness about the specialty. We evaluated the profile's metrics and usage rates. The number of followers was collected on February 10th, 2023. The profile was launched in August 2019. By February 2023, it had 4.070 followers and accumulated 179 posts. The absolute number of followers is lower than that of the Brazilian Society for Radiation Oncology/SBRT (5972) but higher than that of international societies such as ASTRO and ESTRO (2697 and 3366, respectively). Daily accounts reached was up to 1000. Most followers lived in Brazil (91.2%), but there were also users in Portugal (2.9%), Canada (0.7%), and the United States (0.5%). São Paulo, which is Brazil's biggest city with the highest number of radiotherapy centers, concentrated 25.3% of users. Regarding age, 7.2% of users were between 18-24 years old, 59.1% between 25-34, 26.2% between 35 and 44, and 4.4% between 45 and 54. Women represented 63.9% of users, while men 36%. Followers came from different backgrounds: medical students, residents, physicists, radiotherapists, dosimetrists, nurses, radiation oncologists, oncologists, and surgeons. The Instagram profile reached a high range of users and demonstrated high engagement among them. It expanded awareness about radiation oncology, promoted continuing education and literature updates, and became a source of different learning resources. In addition, it contributed to ensuring access to high-quality scientific information to non-English proficient healthcare professionals, thus potentially contributing to improvements in patient care. In the future, we hope to expand access to other lusophone countries and engage in more multidisciplinary discussions.