Educator's blueprint: Key considerations for using social media in survey-based medical education research
Date
9/4/2024
Authors
Ogle, Kathleen Y.
Hill, Jeffery
Santen, Sally A.
Gottlieb, Michael
Artino Jr., Anthony R.
Thoma, Brent
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Wiley
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Article
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Abstract
In this paper, we present a set of recommendations for using social media as a tool for participant recruitment in survey-based medical education research. Drawing from a limited but growing body of literature, we discuss the opportunities and challenges inherent to social media recruitment. This article builds on the authors’ previous educator's blueprints about survey design and administration. We highlight the advantages of social media, including its wide reach, cost-effectiveness, and capability to access diverse and geographically dispersed populations, which can significantly enhance the representativeness of research samples. However, we also caution against potential pitfalls, such as ethical concerns, sampling bias, and the fluid nature of social media platforms. Our recommendations are informed by both empirical evidence and best practices, aiming to provide researchers with practical advice for effectively leveraging social media in survey-based medical education research. We emphasize the importance of selecting suitable platforms and engaging with targeted demographics thoughtfully. By sharing our insights, we hope to assist fellow medical education researchers in navigating the complexities of social media recruitment, thereby enriching the quality and impact of survey-based research in this field.
Description
© 2024 The Author(s). AEM Education and Training published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Keywords
social media, participant recruitment, medical education research, survey, demography
Citation
Ogle KY, Hill J, Santen SA, Gottlieb M, Artino AR Jr., Thoma B. Educator's blueprint: Key considerations for using social media in survey-based medical education research. AEM Educ Train. 2024;8:e11026. doi:10.1002/aet2.11026
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DOI
10.1002/aet2.11026