Objective To characterise the use of social media among members of the American Urological Association (AUA), as the use of social media in medicine has greatly expanded in recent years. Subjects and Methods In December 2012 to January 2013, the AUA e‐mailed a survey with 34 questions on social media use to 2000 randomly selected urologists and 2047 resident/fellow members. Additional data was collected from Symplur analytics on social media use surrounding the AUA Annual Meeting in May 2013. Results In all, 382 (9.4%) surveys were completed, indicating 74% of responders had an online social media account. The most commonly used social media platforms were Facebook (93%), followed in descending order by LinkedIn (46%), Twitter (36%) and Google+ (26%). Being aged <40 years was an important predictor of social media use (83% vs 56%), with greater uptake among residents/fellows compared with attendings (86% vs 66%). Only 28% of respondents used social media partly or entirely for professional purposes. During the 2013 AUA Annual Meeting, there were >5000 tweets from >600 distinct contributors. Conclusion As of early 2013, among respondents to an e‐mail survey, most urologists and urology trainees used some form of social media, and its use in urology conferences has greatly expanded.

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Introduction: We performed a more detailed, updated analysis of social media use by AUA members. Specifically we sought to characterize the frequency of and reason for using different social media platforms as well as barriers to social media use. Methods: From November to December 2013 we sent a 21-item survey on social media use to all 16,376 AUA members with a valid email address. A total of 1,114 members (6.8%) completed the survey. Responses were tallied and statistical analysis was performed to evaluate use patterns based on demographic characteristics. Results: Overall 71% of AUA members who responded to the survey currently had a social media account. The most popular social media platform was FacebookÒ (89% of respondents), followed by LinkedInÒ (59%), YouTubeÔ (54%), TwitterÒ (48%) and GoogleþÔ (35%). All platforms except LinkedIn were used primarily for personal reasons. Fewer than a third of respondents had viewed an AUA social media site and 35% of physician respondents participated in a physician-only social media community. Among respondents who did not use social media the most common reasons were no perception of added value and privacy concerns. Conclusions: Although most AUA respondents are involved in social media, they primarily use social media for personal reasons. There remains significant potential for growth and education on the usefulness of social media for urologists in the professional setting.

Volar plate disruption of the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP) is a common hand injury following finger hyperextension. At our institution, patients presenting with disruptions of the palmar plate (Eaton and Littler types I and II) before 2011 were treated with extension block splinting (group A). Since 2011, all patients with Eaton and Littler types I and II have received buddy taping (group B). The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the respective treatment outcomes. In this retrospective study, we analysed the data of 44 patients visiting our department with volar plate disruption (Eaton and Littler types I and II) from 2009 to 2012. In group A, 23 patients were treated with custom-made extension block splinting in 10 ° flexion, compared with 21 patients treated with buddy taping in group B. Both groups received dorsal night splinting in 10 ° flexion. No statistically significant differences between the two groups were found in regard to treatment duration (p = 0,981), amount of required treatment sessions (p = 0,271), total active motion (TAM) (p = 0,693) and extension deficit (p = 0,404) in the PIP joint at the end of treatment, time until hand therapy was started (p = 0,285) or the Eaton und Littler diagnosis (p = 0,241). In the extension block group (group A), 10 out of 23 (44 %) patients after a median of 9 (4-10) weeks of treatment had an excellent result, 11 (48 %) had a good result, and 2 (8 %) patients had a poor result with a median 90 ° (85-100 °) TAM in the PIP joint and no extension deficit. In group A, all patients received a median of 4 (3-6) treatment sessions. Of those treated with buddy taping (group B), 14 out of 21 (66 %) patients at a median of 6 (4-13) weeks had an excellent result, 6 (29 %) had a good result, and 1 (5 %) patient had a poor result with a median TAM of 95 ° (82,5-100 °) and no extension deficit. In this group, patients received a total of 4 (3-5) treatment sessions. The type of treatment had no significant influence on the Benke and Stableforth outcome (χ2 = 2,385, df = 3, p = 0,304). No patient developed palmar joint instability. No treatment option proved to be superior. We consider buddy taping to be faster, easier and more flexible to use.

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