Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Purpose To determine the level of involvement of orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships on social media, the type of content shared, and the overall level of engagement based on the type of content posted. Methods A web‐based systematic approach identifying and analyzing the social media presence of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs across 3 major platforms—Instagram, Facebook, and X—from the inception of each Instagram and X account to January 30, 2025, and from January 1, 2020, to January 30, 2025, for each Facebook account. Data on each program’s profile and posts were collected. The χ 2 tests evaluated the variability of content posted between programs. Kruskal‐Wallis tests of the mean likes/post/follower evaluated variability in engagement between program profiles. Results Of the 95 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs identified, 20 (21.1%) posted about their fellowship on Instagram, 13 (13.7%) on X, 9 (9.5%) on Facebook, and 5 (5.3%) on all 3 platforms. On average, Instagram profiles had 148.7 posts (range, 8‐985), X profiles had 2,807.0 posts (range, 102‐6,747), and Facebook profiles had 527.4 posts (range, 23‐1,185). Non‐fellowship‐related content (national holidays, patient information) was the most common category across all platforms (mean of 103 posts on Instagram, 2,260 on X, and 489 on Facebook), with little variability between programs. Level of engagement did not statistically differ across any platform (Instagram, P = .457; X, P = .446; Facebook, P = .433). Conclusions Although Instagram was identified as the most favored platform, the overall social media presence of orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships across all platforms was limited. Content analysis revealed a predominant focus on posts unrelated to the program’s orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship. Clinical Relevance This study highlights the underutilized potential of social media in enhancing visibility, engagement, and communication for orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships.
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,000
OpenAlex ID: W4414517624