Continuing Professional Development via Social Media or Conference Attendance: A Cost Analysis

Abstract

BackgroundProfessional development is essential in the health disciplines. Knowing the cost and value of educational approaches informs decisions and choices about learning and teaching practices.ObjectiveThe primary aim of this study was to conduct a cost analysis of participation in continuing professional development via social media compared with live conference attendance.MethodsClinicians interested in musculoskeletal care were invited to participate in the study activities. Quantitative data were obtained from an anonymous electronic questionnaire.ResultsOf the 272 individuals invited to contribute data to this study, 150 clinicians predominantly from Australia, United States, United Kingdom, India, and Malaysia completed the outcome measures. Half of the respondents (78/150, 52.0%) believed that they would learn more with the live conference format. The median perceived participation costs for the live conference format was Aus $1596 (interquartile range, IQR 172.50-2852.00). The perceived cost of participation for equivalent content delivered via social media was Aus $15 (IQR 0.00-58.50). The majority of the clinicians (114/146, 78.1%, missing data n=4) indicated that they would pay for a subscription-based service, delivered by social media, to the median value of Aus $59.50.ConclusionsSocial media platforms are evolving into an acceptable and financially sustainable medium for the continued professional development of health professionals. When factoring in the reduced costs of participation and the reduced loss of employable hours from the perspective of the health service, professional development via social media has unique strengths that challenge the traditional live conference delivery format.

Expanding Opportunities for Professional Development: Utilization of Twitter by Early Career Women in Academic Medicine and Science

“…For example, the #EWIMS hashtag facilitated connectivity for the varied communities of conference attendees, faculty, and worldwide followers. In addition to ease of participation, an international group of researchers recently showed that the perceived costs of conference participation via social media were far lower than live attendance while nearly half of respondents felt that they would learn the same or more from the social media-based format [ 36 ]. When following conferences, “backchannels” may form leading to the identification of and deeper conversation with others of similar interests [ 37 ].…”

A global perspective on implant education: Cluster analysis of the “first dental implant experience” of dentists from 84 nationalities

“…Some of these changes include sharp rises in the dental market and workforce in developing nations, 21,22 international migration of dental manpower, 23 adoption of digital and 3-D imaging technologies in dentistry, 24 industry-professional relationships, 25 e-learning 26 and social media use by professionals and consumers. [27][28][29] As standardisation of University curricula in implant dentistry remains a focal issue, 9 an understanding of factors that underpin the educational pathways in implant dentistry is in order. The "diffusion of innovation" model, a well-studied framework that describes the dispersion of technology, 1,4 categorises individuals as "innovators," "early," "majority" or "late" adopters.…”

“…In addition, these developments have occurred in a broader context of the fast‐changing landscape of dentistry at the global level. Some of these changes include sharp rises in the dental market and workforce in developing nations, international migration of dental manpower, adoption of digital and 3‐D imaging technologies in dentistry, industry‐professional relationships, e‐learning and social media use by professionals and consumers . As standardisation of University curricula in implant dentistry remains a focal issue, an understanding of factors that underpin the educational pathways in implant dentistry is in order.…”

Criteria to Measure Social Media Value in Health Care Settings: Narrative Literature Review

“…When used for organizational promotion, the impact of social media on a health care practice can be determined using metrics that measure return-on-investment (ROI), that is, the gain or loss generated on the application relative to the amount of money invested [2,28]. Similarly, one can also measure the value of social media in health care by examining how social media compares with alternative mediums of professional medical education using cost analysis, that is, by comparing the ratio of benefits over costs [69]. Furthermore, medical literature [30,48,49] proposes that value be measured in health care settings based on outcomes achieved per money spent.…”