Facebook Data Analytics: An Orthopedic Arthroplasty Case Study and Guide for Physicians

Abstract

Social media is increasingly used for health queries and subspecialist selection, but physicians receive little training in its use. This case study describes use of the free data tool Facebook Audience Insights to understand population demographics relevant to an orthopedic practice. Face-book Audience Insights was used to compare demographics and activity patterns of two patient samples typical of total joint arthroplasty (TJA)—young TJA (ages 55–64 years) and Medicare TJA (age ≥65 years)—in May 2020. Creation of a professional Facebook page is described accompanied by the demonstration of Audience Insights to analyze regional user patterns. A local sample of Facebook users was then compared with a single orthopedic practice's Facebook traffic. Facebook use is common among patients undergoing TJA, and the proportion of self-identified women increases with age (young TJA, 53% women; Medicare TJA, 63% women). Women are more interactive Facebook users across all age ranges, with more frequent comments, “Liked” pages, and advertisement clicks. Analysis of a local Facebook population revealed a lower proportion of TJA-aged patients than the national cohort; however, TJA-aged patients represented 38% of the practice's Facebook page traffic, with a predominance of visitors being women (26% women, 12% men). Face-book demonstrates a high prevalence of users in the typical age range for TJA. Those users were common on an orthopedic practice Facebook page, suggesting social media may be an effective medium for engaging patients. [ Orthopedics . 202x;4x(x):xx–xx.]