1948. Impact of @WuidQ, a Free Open-access Medical Education Twitter Resource, on Infectious Disease Learning and Teaching

Abstract

Abstract Background Free open-access medical education (FOAMed) is increasingly used as a web-based platform for learning/teaching, with Twitter emerging as a leading medium. However, FOAMed resources in infectious disease (ID) are limited. @WuidQ is the first FOAMed Twitter resource to provide review of ID through board-style, multiple-choice questions (MCQs). We describe its creation and impact to date. Methods Two ID faculties created MCQs, vetting them based on accuracy and clarity. MCQs were posted a few times weekly using Twitter’s poll function, with answers tweeted as “threads” linked to the MCQ (Figure 1). We reviewed followers’ profiles to determine their demographics. We also used Twitter metrics to assess participation, including the average number of poll voters, impression (number of tweet views), engagement (number of retweets, clicks), and engagement rate (engagement divided by impression). In order to gauge follower satisfaction, we posted an anonymous online survey that included both close-ended questions utilizing Likert scale and open-ended questions. Results Over its first 9 months, @WuidQ reached 1,339 followers (56% based in the United States, 47% healthcare professionals, 13% students/trainees) (Table 1). During this time, it earned 582,400 impressions and had a 3.1% mean engagement rate. We posted 103 MCQs, with a mean of 143 (range 70–316) poll voters per MCQ. Forty-five followers completed the survey; of whom, 49% were ID doctors, 22% were ID fellows, and 11% were medical residents. The vast majority of respondents were between 25 and 44 years of age. Almost all agreed that @WuidQ is engaging and accessible (Figure 2). The majority of respondents who were taking exams agreed that @WuidQ helped them with test preparation. Of those who indicated teaching was a relevant practice, 80% said it helped them teach ID. Lack of time to read and learners’ short attention span were the most common learning barriers addressed by @WuidQ (Figure 4). Conclusion @WuidQ is an effective Twitter resource for ID education, filling a gap in FOAMed resources for ID. It has a global reach and caters to learners/teachers across a spectrum of training levels. Given its success, more work is warranted to understand practices for engaging learners and teachers in FOAMed for ID. Disclosures All Authors: No reported Disclosures.