Learning Outcomes and Educational Effectiveness of Social Media as a Continuing Professional Development Intervention for Practicing Surgeons: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this systematic review was to assess the learning outcomes and educational effectiveness of social media as a continuing professional development intervention for surgeons in practice.

Background: Social media has the potential to improve global access to educational resources and collaborative networking. However, the learning outcomes and educational effectiveness of social media as a continuing professional development (CPD) intervention are yet to be summarized.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE and Embase databases from 1946 to 2022. We included studies that assessed the learning outcomes and educational effectiveness of social media as a CPD intervention for practicing surgeons. We excluded studies that were not original research, involved only trainees, did not evaluate educational effectiveness, or involved an in-person component. The 18-point Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) was used for quality appraisal. Learning outcomes were categorized according to Moore's Expanded Outcomes Framework (MEOF).

Results: A total of 830 unique studies revealed 14 studies for inclusion. The mean MERSQI score of the included studies was 9.0 ± 0.8. In total, 3227 surgeons from 105 countries and various surgical specialties were included. Twelve studies (86%) evaluated surgeons' satisfaction (MEOF level 2), 3 studies (21%) evaluated changes in self-reported declarative or procedural knowledge (MEOF levels 3A and 3B), 1 study (7%) evaluated changes in self-reported competence (MEOF level 4), and 5 studies (36%) evaluated changes in self-reported performance in practice (MEOF level 5). No studies evaluated changes in patient or community health (MEOF levels 6 and 7).

Conclusions: The use of social media as a CPD intervention among practicing surgeons is associated with improved self-reported declarative and procedural knowledge, self-reported competence, and self-reported performance in practice. Further research is required to assess whether social media use for CPD in surgeons is associated with improvements in higher level and objectively measured learning outcomes.

Keywords: CPD; continuing professional development; distance learning; electronic learning; practicing surgeons; remote learning; social media; social networking; surgical education.