Social media collaboration of retinal physicians: A ‘Young Retina Forum’ survey

Abstract

Background and objective: To describe the impact that social media usage has on a group of retina specialists. Materials and methods: An anonymous online survey was sent to members of the Young Retina Forum who use the social media platform – Telegram. Results: Of a total of 178 members, 100 responded (87 men and 13 women), having an average age of 35 years. Of these, 66 respondents were surgical retina attendings in practice for 3 years. In all, 98 respondents found the Young Retina Forum useful for networking and educationally valuable discussions, and 35 respondents had at least one instance when they had used Young Retina Forum to obtain assistance at that moment in the clinic and/or the operating room. At least 58 respondents said Young Retina Forum changed their practice patterns in the clinic and/or operating room. Conclusion: In this study, 58% of Young Retina Forum respondents said their practice patterns have changed due to their experiences using social media. Professional use of social media by ophthalmologists has the potential to improve education, clinical practice, and patient care.