760 - Teaching Digital Professionalism: Evaluating the Impact of a Social Media Education Session on Residents’ Confidence and Competence

Publication Number: 3736.760

Ruth N. Vela Sosa, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, NYC, NY, United States; Nancy Presnick, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Kamaal Jones, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, New Rochelle, NY, United States; Courtney McNamara, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Ossining, NY, United States

Background: Social media is widely used in daily life and plays a growing role in how patients form opinions and make medical decisions. Nearly 80% of U.S. internet users search online for health information. As digital engagement expands, physicians are increasingly expected to communicate responsibly while maintaining professionalism and institutional compliance. Despite its importance, few formal curricula address social media literacy or digital professionalism in medical training. This session was developed to help residents understand the influence of social media on patient and parent health decision-making, recognize its benefits and risks, and build confidence in creating professional, authentic, and evidence-based content.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief educational intervention to improve residents' understanding and professional use of social media. Curriculum objectives: (1) Understand how social media influences patient perceptions of healthcare. (2) Recognize benefits and risks of physician social media use. (3) Apply best practices and institutional guidelines. (4) Develop an authentic professional online identity.

Design/Methods: This pre-post interventional study was conducted at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore. Eighty-eight pediatric residents were eligible; however, attendance was not recorded. Of 42 residents, 33 completed both surveys and were included in the analysis. An interactive social media session was delivered between August and September 2025. Surveys were administered before and after the session using identical items (Table 1). Data were analyzed using Stata/BE 18.0. McNemar's test was used for binary items, and paired t-tests compared mean Likert scores (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) pre- and post-intervention. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05.

Results: A total of 33 residents completed both pre- and post-intervention surveys. Binary (True/False) items showed small, non-significant increases in correct (true) responses. In contrast, all Likert-scale items (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) demonstrated statistically significant improvements in confidence across all questions. Table 1 summarizes the pre- and post-intervention results.

Conclusion(s): This intervention significantly improved residents' confidence using social media, emphasizing the value of structured guidance on professional online presence during medical training. A follow-up study is needed to determine whether improvements in confidence are sustained over time and to evaluate the long-term strength of this curriculum.

Table 1. Pre-Post Survey Results (n = 33)
Note: Values mean ± standard deviation (SD) for Likert-scale items or % True for binary items. Likert scores range 1-5 (strongly disagree to strongly agree).