Globalization of Continuing Professional Development by Journal Clubs via Microblogging: A Systematic Review

Author(s): Matthew John Roberts , BSc, MB BS ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, , Marlon Perera , BmedSci, MB BS ¹ ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Nathan Lawrentschuk , MB BS, FRACS, PhD ⁵ ^, ⁶ ^, ⁷ , Diana Romanic , BA(psyc), BExSc ⁵ ^, ⁶ ^, ⁷ , Nathan Papa , MB BS, MEpi ⁵ , Damien Bolton , MB BS, MD, FRACS ⁵ ^, ⁶

Editor(s): Gunther Eysenbach

Other contributor(s): Teresa Chan (Reviewer), Han Wu (Reviewer)

Publication date (Electronic): 23 April 2015

Journal: Journal of Medical Internet Research

Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.

Keywords: journal club, social media, continuing medical education, continuing professional development, systematic review

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Abstract

Background

Journal clubs are an essential tool in promoting clinical evidence-based medical education to all medical and allied health professionals. Twitter represents a public, microblogging forum that can facilitate traditional journal club requirements, while also reaching a global audience, and participation for discussion with study authors and colleagues.

Objective

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the current state of social media–facilitated journal clubs, specifically Twitter, as an example of continuing professional development.

Methods

A systematic review of literature databases (Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, ERIC via ProQuest) was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic search of Twitter, the followers of identified journal clubs, and Symplur was also performed. Demographic and monthly tweet data were extracted from Twitter and Symplur. All manuscripts related to Twitter-based journal clubs were included. Statistical analyses were performed in MS Excel and STATA.

Results

From a total of 469 citations, 11 manuscripts were included and referred to five Twitter-based journal clubs (#ALiEMJC, #BlueJC, #ebnjc, #urojc, #meded). A Twitter-based journal club search yielded 34 potential hashtags/accounts, of which 24 were included in the final analysis. The median duration of activity was 11.75 (interquartile range [IQR] 19.9, SD 10.9) months, with 7 now inactive. The median number of followers and participants was 374 (IQR 574) and 157 (IQR 272), respectively. An overall increasing establishment of active Twitter-based journal clubs was observed, resulting in an exponential increase in total cumulative tweets ( R ²=.98), and tweets per month ( R ²=.72). Cumulative tweets for specific journal clubs increased linearly, with @ADC_JC, @EBNursingBMJ, @igsjc, @iurojc, and @NephJC, and showing greatest rate of change, as well as total impressions per month since establishment. An average of two tweets per month was estimated for the majority of participants, while the “Top 10” tweeters for @iurojc showed a significantly lower contribution to overall tweets for each month ( P<.005). A linearly increasing impression:tweet ratio was observed for the top five journal clubs.

Conclusions

Twitter-based journal clubs are free, time-efficient, and publicly accessible means to facilitate international discussions regarding clinically important evidence-based research.

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Most cited references 27

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Is Open Access

Can Tweets Predict Citations? Metrics of Social Impact Based on Twitter and Correlation with Traditional Metrics of Scientific Impact

Gunther Eysenbach (2011)

Background Citations in peer-reviewed articles and the impact factor are generally accepted measures of scientific impact. Web 2.0 tools such as Twitter, blogs or social bookmarking tools provide the possibility to construct innovative article-level or journal-level metrics to gauge impact and influence. However, the relationship of the these new metrics to traditional metrics such as citations is not known. Objective (1) To explore the feasibility of measuring social impact of and public attention to scholarly articles by analyzing buzz in social media, (2) to explore the dynamics, content, and timing of tweets relative to the publication of a scholarly article, and (3) to explore whether these metrics are sensitive and specific enough to predict highly cited articles. Methods Between July 2008 and November 2011, all tweets containing links to articles in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) were mined. For a subset of 1573 tweets about 55 articles published between issues 3/2009 and 2/2010, different metrics of social media impact were calculated and compared against subsequent citation data from Scopus and Google Scholar 17 to 29 months later. A heuristic to predict the top-cited articles in each issue through tweet metrics was validated. Results A total of 4208 tweets cited 286 distinct JMIR articles. The distribution of tweets over the first 30 days after article publication followed a power law (Zipf, Bradford, or Pareto distribution), with most tweets sent on the day when an article was published (1458/3318, 43.94% of all tweets in a 60-day period) or on the following day (528/3318, 15.9%), followed by a rapid decay. The Pearson correlations between tweetations and citations were moderate and statistically significant, with correlation coefficients ranging from .42 to .72 for the log-transformed Google Scholar citations, but were less clear for Scopus citations and rank correlations. A linear multivariate model with time and tweets as significant predictors (P < .001) could explain 27% of the variation of citations. Highly tweeted articles were 11 times more likely to be highly cited than less-tweeted articles (9/12 or 75% of highly tweeted article were highly cited, while only 3/43 or 7% of less-tweeted articles were highly cited; rate ratio 0.75/0.07 = 10.75, 95% confidence interval, 3.4–33.6). Top-cited articles can be predicted from top-tweeted articles with 93% specificity and 75% sensitivity. Conclusions Tweets can predict highly cited articles within the first 3 days of article publication. Social media activity either increases citations or reflects the underlying qualities of the article that also predict citations, but the true use of these metrics is to measure the distinct concept of social impact. Social impact measures based on tweets are proposed to complement traditional citation metrics. The proposed twimpact factor may be a useful and timely metric to measure uptake of research findings and to filter research findings resonating with the public in real time.

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Wikis, blogs and podcasts: a new generation of Web-based tools for virtual collaborative clinical practice and education

Maged N Kamel Boulos, Inocencio Maramba, Steve Wheeler (2006)

Background We have witnessed a rapid increase in the use of Web-based 'collaborationware' in recent years. These Web 2.0 applications, particularly wikis, blogs and podcasts, have been increasingly adopted by many online health-related professional and educational services. Because of their ease of use and rapidity of deployment, they offer the opportunity for powerful information sharing and ease of collaboration. Wikis are Web sites that can be edited by anyone who has access to them. The word 'blog' is a contraction of 'Web Log' – an online Web journal that can offer a resource rich multimedia environment. Podcasts are repositories of audio and video materials that can be "pushed" to subscribers, even without user intervention. These audio and video files can be downloaded to portable media players that can be taken anywhere, providing the potential for "anytime, anywhere" learning experiences (mobile learning). Discussion Wikis, blogs and podcasts are all relatively easy to use, which partly accounts for their proliferation. The fact that there are many free and Open Source versions of these tools may also be responsible for their explosive growth. Thus it would be relatively easy to implement any or all within a Health Professions' Educational Environment. Paradoxically, some of their disadvantages also relate to their openness and ease of use. With virtually anybody able to alter, edit or otherwise contribute to the collaborative Web pages, it can be problematic to gauge the reliability and accuracy of such resources. While arguably, the very process of collaboration leads to a Darwinian type 'survival of the fittest' content within a Web page, the veracity of these resources can be assured through careful monitoring, moderation, and operation of the collaborationware in a closed and secure digital environment. Empirical research is still needed to build our pedagogic evidence base about the different aspects of these tools in the context of medical/health education. Summary and conclusion If effectively deployed, wikis, blogs and podcasts could offer a way to enhance students', clinicians' and patients' learning experiences, and deepen levels of learners' engagement and collaboration within digital learning environments. Therefore, research should be conducted to determine the best ways to integrate these tools into existing e-Learning programmes for students, health professionals and patients, taking into account the different, but also overlapping, needs of these three audience classes and the opportunities of virtual collaboration between them. Of particular importance is research into novel integrative applications, to serve as the "glue" to bind the different forms of Web-based collaborationware synergistically in order to provide a coherent wholesome learning experience.

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Free Open Access Meducation (FOAM): the rise of emergency medicine and critical care blogs and podcasts (2002-2013).

Mike Cadogan, Brent Thoma, Teresa M Chan … (2014)

Disruptive technologies are revolutionising continuing professional development in emergency medicine and critical care (EMCC). Data on EMCC blogs and podcasts were gathered prospectively from 2002 through November 2013. During this time there was a rapid expansion of EMCC websites, from two blogs and one podcast in 2002 to 141 blogs and 42 podcasts in 2013. This paper illustrates the explosive growth of EMCC websites and provides a foundation that will anchor future research in this burgeoning field.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Matthew John Roberts:

School of MedicineThe University of QueenslandRBWH CampusHerstonBrisbane, 4029Australia61 042237897561 7 3346 5509m.roberts2@uq.edu.au

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0552-7402

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): J Med Internet Res

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): J. Med. Internet Res

Journal ID (publisher-id): JMIR

Title: Journal of Medical Internet Research

Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc. (Toronto, Canada )

ISSN (Print): 1439-4456

ISSN (Electronic): 1438-8871

Publication date Collection: April 2015

Publication date (Electronic): 23 April 2015

Volume: 17

Issue: 4

Electronic Location Identifier: e103

Affiliations

[1] ¹School of Medicine The University of Queensland BrisbaneAustralia

[2] ²Centre for Clinical Research The University of Queensland BrisbaneAustralia

[3] ³Mackay Base Hospital MackayAustralia

[4] ⁴Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand EdgecliffAustralia

[5] ⁵University of Melbourne Department of Surgery Austin Hospital MelbourneAustralia

[6] ⁶Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute Austin Health MelbourneAustralia

[7] ⁷Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Division of Cancer Surgery MelbourneAustralia

Author notes

Corresponding Author: Matthew John Roberts m.roberts2@ 123456uq.edu.au

Author information

Matthew John Roberts http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0552-7402

Marlon Perera http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1138-6389

Nathan Lawrentschuk http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8553-5618

Diana Romanic http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2641-7168

Nathan Papa http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3188-1803

Damien Bolton http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5145-6783

Article

Publisher ID: v17i4e103

DOI: 10.2196/jmir.4194

PMC ID: 4424319

PubMed ID: 25908092

SO-VID: 9bc80fe2-ce80-4a95-b36f-9386610c0a2a

Copyright © ©Matthew John Roberts, Marlon Perera, Nathan Lawrentschuk, Diana Romanic, Nathan Papa, Damien Bolton. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 23.04.2015.

License:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on http://www.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

History

Date received : 01 January 2015

Date revision requested : 22 January 2015

Date revision received : 21 February 2015

Date accepted : 23 February 2015

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