Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Linkou Medical Center and Chang Gung Medical College and Chang Gung University, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
J Reconstr Microsurg. 2019 Jul;35(6):452-461. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1677765. Epub 2019 Feb 13.
Medical conferences are forums for research, continuing medical education, and networking. Social media is increasingly used for communication and networking due to its low cost and ability to overcome large distances. This study investigates the impact that social media brings to the current conference system.
There are three parts of this study: (1) comparing two similar brachial plexus injuries (BPIs) courses without (2009) and with (2017) social media support, and the participants' feedback; (2) sharing our experiences in the management of the 2018 International Course on SuperMicrosurgery (ICSM) conference; and (3) evaluating the studies from the social media platform International Microsurgery Club (IMC), for the consensus pertaining to social media and conference system.
With the help of social media, international attendance increased during the 2017 BPI conference compared with the 2009 BPI course (25 nationalities in 2009 vs. 35 in 2017). At least 23% obtained their meeting information through social media. Live surgery was the overall main attraction (79%). The 2018 ICSM meeting revealed that video posts increased attendance; videos that were the most effective in attracting (viewership) were either short or pertained to surgical procedures. Facebook, Messenger, and WeChat smartphone applications were effective for immediate communication and troubleshooting among the participants. From the IMC polls, 78% believe that the social media and the conference complemented each other. 97% attended the conference to update their skills and knowledge.
Social media is a quick and economic tool in promoting medical conferences and instant messenger systems offer immediate communication amongst associates. Despite the popularity of social media, the conference still has its irreplaceable role. The combination of the conference and the social media enhances the training and education of microsurgeons.
医学会议是进行研究、继续教育和建立联系的平台。由于社交媒体成本低且能够跨越较大的距离，因此它被越来越多地用于交流和建立联系。本研究旨在探讨社交媒体为当前会议系统带来的影响。
本研究分为三个部分：（1）比较两次类似的臂丛神经损伤（BPI）课程，一次有（2017 年）社交媒体支持，一次没有（2009 年），并分析参与者的反馈；（2）分享我们在管理 2018 年国际显微外科研讨会（ICSM）方面的经验；（3）评估来自国际显微外科学会俱乐部（IMC）社交媒体平台的研究，以就社交媒体和会议系统达成共识。
在社交媒体的帮助下，2017 年 BPI 会议的国际参与度较 2009 年 BPI 课程有所增加（2009 年有 25 个国家/地区参加，2017 年有 35 个国家/地区参加）。至少有 23%的人通过社交媒体获取会议信息。现场手术是总体上的主要吸引力（79%）。2018 年 ICSM 会议表明，视频帖子增加了与会人数；最吸引观众（观看次数）的视频要么很短，要么与手术程序有关。Facebook、Messenger 和 WeChat 智能手机应用程序在与会者之间进行即时沟通和解决问题方面非常有效。从 IMC 投票来看，78%的人认为社交媒体和会议相互补充。97%的人参加会议是为了更新技能和知识。
社交媒体是促进医学会议的快速且经济的工具，即时通讯系统为与会者提供了即时沟通的途径。尽管社交媒体很受欢迎，但会议仍然具有不可替代的作用。会议和社交媒体的结合增强了显微外科医生的培训和教育。
