Sharing is caring: an analysis of #FOAMed Twitter posts during the COVID-19 pandemic
Sharing is caring: an analysis of #FOAMed Twitter posts during the COVID-19 pandemic
Purpose: Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAMed) is a worldwide social media movement designed to accelerate and democratise the sharing of medical knowledge. This study sought to investigate the content shared through FOAMed during the emerging COVID-19 pandemic.
Study design: tweets containing the #FOAMed hashtag posted during a 24-hour period in April 2020 were studied. Included tweets were analysed using the Wiig knowledge management cycle framework (building knowledge, holding knowledge, pooling knowledge and using knowledge).
Results: 1379 tweets contained the #FOAMed hashtag, of which 265 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Included tweets were posted from 208 distinct users, originated from each world continent and were in five different languages. Three overarching themes were identified: (1) signposting and appraising evidence and guidelines; (2) sharing specialist and technical advice; and (3) personal and social engagement. Among 12 subthemes within these groupings, 11 aligned to one of the four dimensions of the Wiig knowledge management cycle framework, and the other focused on building and managing social networks. Almost 40% of tweets related directly to COVID-19.
Conclusion: #FOAMed tweets during the COVID-19 pandemic included a broad range of resources, advice and support. Despite the geographical, language and disciplinary variation of contributing users and the lack of organisational structure uniting them, this social media medical community has been able to construct, share and use emerging technical knowledge through a time of extraordinary challenge and uncertainty for the global medical community.
COVID-19, Education, Medical, Humans, Pandemics, SARS-CoV-2, Social Media
199-204
Rashid, Mohammed Ahmed
795639db-e417-4946-a095-26879756f8c2
Yip, Sharon Wing Lam
b3df2e7b-50ab-45fc-968b-800fc01c2a49
Gill, Deborah
7efe669f-45e8-45d3-ab30-8717653353ca
Arfeen, Zakia
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14 December 2020
Rashid, Mohammed Ahmed
795639db-e417-4946-a095-26879756f8c2
Yip, Sharon Wing Lam
b3df2e7b-50ab-45fc-968b-800fc01c2a49
Gill, Deborah
7efe669f-45e8-45d3-ab30-8717653353ca
Arfeen, Zakia
0a1e5eda-9392-4f98-abac-5ce08f1e2bb5
Rashid, Mohammed Ahmed, Yip, Sharon Wing Lam, Gill, Deborah and Arfeen, Zakia
(2020)
Sharing is caring: an analysis of #FOAMed Twitter posts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Postgraduate Medical Journal, 98 (1157), .
(doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-139267).
Abstract
Purpose: Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAMed) is a worldwide social media movement designed to accelerate and democratise the sharing of medical knowledge. This study sought to investigate the content shared through FOAMed during the emerging COVID-19 pandemic.
Study design: tweets containing the #FOAMed hashtag posted during a 24-hour period in April 2020 were studied. Included tweets were analysed using the Wiig knowledge management cycle framework (building knowledge, holding knowledge, pooling knowledge and using knowledge).
Results: 1379 tweets contained the #FOAMed hashtag, of which 265 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Included tweets were posted from 208 distinct users, originated from each world continent and were in five different languages. Three overarching themes were identified: (1) signposting and appraising evidence and guidelines; (2) sharing specialist and technical advice; and (3) personal and social engagement. Among 12 subthemes within these groupings, 11 aligned to one of the four dimensions of the Wiig knowledge management cycle framework, and the other focused on building and managing social networks. Almost 40% of tweets related directly to COVID-19.
Conclusion: #FOAMed tweets during the COVID-19 pandemic included a broad range of resources, advice and support. Despite the geographical, language and disciplinary variation of contributing users and the lack of organisational structure uniting them, this social media medical community has been able to construct, share and use emerging technical knowledge through a time of extraordinary challenge and uncertainty for the global medical community.
Text
postgradmedj-98-199
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 23 November 2020
Published date: 14 December 2020
Keywords:
COVID-19, Education, Medical, Humans, Pandemics, SARS-CoV-2, Social Media
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 507630
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/507630
ISSN: 0032-5473
PURE UUID: e305e8d8-08cd-4cb8-8b01-c789cd67aac5
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Date deposited: 16 Dec 2025 17:34
Last modified: 18 Dec 2025 03:05
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Contributors
Author:
Mohammed Ahmed Rashid
Author:
Sharon Wing Lam Yip
Author:
Deborah Gill
Author:
Zakia Arfeen
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