Visibility of Board-Certified Dermatologists on TikTok (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Social media platforms such as TikTok allows creators to share health information and possible misinformation.2 Our study aims to categorize popular dermatology-related posts and analyze the visibility of board-certified dermatologists on TikTok. OBJECTIVE Our study aims to categorize popular dermatology-related posts and analyze the visibility of board-certified dermatologists on TikTok. METHODS A list of top dermatologic diagnoses and procedures was compiled and the 20 dermatologic conditions and procedures with the highest total views were identified. Profession-specific hashtags were queried.3,4 The top posts under each hashtag were viewed. Users' self-reported occupations were identified, and board certifications were confirmed online when possible. RESULTS Board-certified dermatologists and residents were responsible for 6.49% and 3.03% of top dermatology-related TikTok content, while 71.43% of creators had no formal medical training. Overall, verified board-certified dermatologists and residents created 13.88% and 8.89% of the top dermatology-related posts in the queried hashtags. CONCLUSIONS Most popular dermatology-related content on TikTok is created by individuals without verifiable formal medical training. As social media platforms like TikTok grow, board-certified dermatologists can increase their presence as a credible source for the public to acquire dermatologic knowledge. Verified accounts and visibility of educational credentials can help users discern the source of information being shared on social media platforms such as TikTok.