Best practices for Instagram in medical education: a study with randomized post designs
Background/Aim: Instagram is a widely used visual communication platform with over one billion global users. Its visual and interactive features suggest potential for use in medical education, particularly for asynchronous learning. - Materials and Methods: To evaluate effective strategies for accou...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
July 17, 2025
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| In: |
In vivo
Year: 2025, Volume: 39, Issue: 6, Pages: 3516-3521 |
| ISSN: | 1791-7549 |
| DOI: | 10.21873/invivo.14149 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.21873/invivo.14149 Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/39/6/3516 
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| Author Notes: | Rebecca I. Wurm-Kuczera, Julia F.L. Koenig and Judith Buentzel |
| Summary: | Background/Aim: Instagram is a widely used visual communication platform with over one billion global users. Its visual and interactive features suggest potential for use in medical education, particularly for asynchronous learning. - Materials and Methods: To evaluate effective strategies for account promotion, content design, and outcome measurement, we launched the Instagram account “ilearnonco2021” during a hematology and medical oncology teaching module. Educational posts were uploaded according to a randomized controlled protocol. Post engagement was assessed using ‘likes’ as a surrogate marker for student interest. These assumptions were cross-validated through a post-course survey assessing students’ content preferences. - Results: Of 126 enrolled students, 49 (38.9%) subscribed to the account, with the majority recruited following a personalized email and references in the online study guide. Single-slide posts received a similar number of likes as multi-slide posts. Combining clinical trial content with supplementary visuals (e.g., comics, mnemonics, images) did not significantly increase engagement compared to single-slide trial posts. Posts in the category “mnemonics” received significantly more likes than clinical trial posts (p=0.01). Compared to a prior cohort, the current group showed a significantly lower rate of engagement, measured in likes per follower and post. - Conclusion: Instagram may serve as a supportive tool for asynchronous learning in medical education. However, its capacity to increase interest in clinical research appears limited. While ‘likes’ can indicate trends in engagement, they should be cross-validated with independent user surveys to ensure reliability. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 17.02.2026 Online veröffentlicht: 17. Juli 2025 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1791-7549 |
| DOI: | 10.21873/invivo.14149 |