BackgroundThe use of social media in health education has witnessed a revolution within the past decade. Students have already adopted social media informally to share information and supplement their lecture-based learning. Although studies show comparable efficacy and improved engagement when social media is used as a teaching tool, broad-based adoption has been slow and the data on barriers to uptake have not been well documented.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to assess attitudes of health educators toward social media use in education, examine differences between faculty members who do and do not use social media in teaching practice, and determine contributing factors for an increase in the uptake of social media.MethodsA cross-sectional Web-based survey was disseminated to the faculty of health professional education departments at 8 global institutions. Respondents were categorized based on the frequency of social media use in teaching as “users” and “nonusers.” Users sometimes, often, or always used social media, whereas nonusers never or rarely used social media.ResultsA total of 270 health educators (52.9%, n=143 users and 47.0%, n=127 nonusers) were included in the survey. Users and nonusers demonstrated significant differences on perceived barriers and potential benefits to the use of social media. Users were more motivated by learner satisfaction and deterred by lack of technology compatibility, whereas nonusers reported the need for departmental and skill development support. Both shared concerns of professionalism and lack of evidence showing enhanced learning.ConclusionsThe majority of educators are open-minded to incorporating social media into their teaching practice. However, both users and nonusers have unique perceived challenges and needs, and engaging them to adapt social media into their educational practice will require previously unreported approaches. Identification of these differences and areas of overlap presents opportunities to determine a strategy to increase adoption.

BackgroundSocial media is an asset that higher education students can use for an array of purposes. Studies have shown the merits of social media use in educational settings; however, its adoption in health science education has been slow, and the contributing reasons remain unclear.ObjectiveThis multidisciplinary study aimed to examine health science students’ opinions on the use of social media in health science education and identify factors that may discourage its use.MethodsData were collected from the Universitas 21 “Use of social media in health education” survey, distributed electronically among the health science staff and students from 8 universities in 7 countries. The 1640 student respondents were grouped as users or nonusers based on their reported frequency of social media use in their education.ResultsOf the 1640 respondents, 1343 (81.89%) use social media in their education. Only 462 of the 1320 (35.00%) respondents have received specific social media training, and of those who have not, the majority (64.9%, 608/936) would like the opportunity. Users and nonusers reported the same 3 factors as the top barriers to their use of social media: uncertainty on policies, concerns about professionalism, and lack of support from the department. Nonusers reported all the barriers more frequently and almost half of nonusers reported not knowing how to incorporate social media into their learning. Among users, more than one fifth (20.5%, 50/243) of students who use social media “almost always” reported sharing clinical images without explicit permission.ConclusionsOur global, interdisciplinary study demonstrates that a significant number of students across all health science disciplines self-reported sharing clinical images inappropriately, and thus request the need for policies and training specific to social media use in health science education.

Background: Standardized care protocols offer the potential to reduce postoperative complication rates. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was an additive benefit associated with the sequential implementation of the evidence-based surgical site infection bundle (SSIB) and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols for patients undergoing colorectal surgery in a community hospital. Methods: Patients at a single institution who underwent elective colorectal surgery between Apr. 1, 2011, and Dec. 31, 2015, were identified by means of American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data. Patients were stratified into 3 groups according to the protocol implementation dates: pre-SSIB/pre-ERAS (control), post-SSIB/pre-ERAS and post-SSIB/post-ERAS. Primary outcomes assessed were length of stay and wound complication rates. We used inverse proportional weighting to control for possible differences between the groups. Results: There were 368 patients included: 94 in the control group, 95 in the post-SSIB/pre-ERAS group and 179 in the post-SSIB/post-ERAS group. In the adjusted analyses, mean length of stay (control group 7.6 d, post-SSIB/post-ERAS group 5.5 d, p = 0.04) and overall wound complication rates (14.7% and 6.5%, respectively, p = 0.049) were reduced after sequential implementation of the protocols. Conclusion: Sequential implementation of quality-improvement initiatives yielded additive benefit for patients undergoing colorectal surgery in a community hospital, with a decrease in length of stay and wound complication rates. The amount of improvement attributable to either initiative is difficult to define as they were implemented sequentially. The improved outcomes were realized after the introduction of the ERAS protocol in adjusted analyses. Contexte : Les protocoles de soins standardisés offrent la possibilité de réduire les taux de complications postopératoires. Le but de cette étude était de déterminer s'il y a un avantage additif associé à l'application séquentielle des protocoles fondés sur des données probantes SSIB (surgical site infection bundle) et ERAS (enhanced recovery after surgery) chez des patients soumis à une chirurgie colorectale dans un hôpital communautaire. Méthodes : Les patients d'un seul établissement ayant subi une chirurgie colorectale non urgente entre le 1 er avril 2011 et le 31 décembre 2015 ont été recensés à partir des données du Programme national d'amélioration de la qualité chirurgicale de l'American College of Surgeons. Les patients ont été stratifiés en 3 groupes selon les dates d'application des protocoles : pré-SSIB/pré-ERAS (témoin), post-SSIB/pré-ERAS et post-SSIB/post-ERAS. Les paramètres principaux évalués étaient la durée du séjour hospitalier et les taux de complications de plaies. Nous avons utilisé une pondération proportionnelle inverse pour tenir compte des possibles différences entre les groupes. Résultats : Nous avons inclus 368 patients, 94 dans le groupe témoin, 95 dans le groupe post-SSIB/pré-ERAS et 179 ...