Investigating the Accuracy of Obstetric-Related Educational Material Disseminated Through Social Media

Introduction

In recent times, healthcare providers have leveraged Instagram to share insights into their medical specialty, providing educational content to the public in a format distinct from traditional medical norms. However, the medical domain on Instagram lacks the same level of regulation, potentially resulting in the dissemination of inaccurate information3, impacting patient experiences and health outcomes. Our study aims to evaluate the quality and accuracy of obstetric anesthesia-related content on Instagram.

Methods

A search Instagram posts for #Epidural, #EpiduralAnalgesia, #ObAnesthesiologist and #ObstetricAnesthesia was conducted. Engagement metrics were used to quantify post content reach. Medical education videos were assessed for accuracy and PEMAT-A/V to evaluate understandability and actionability.

Results

A total of 80 Instagram posts were analyzed, revealing a predominant focus on Medical Education(46%), followed by Provider Lifestyle(21%), Advertisement(16%), Research Articles(8%), Patient Experience(5%), and Medical Illustration(4%). In medical education content, 69% of posts were completely accurate, 28% were partially accurate or potentially misleading, and 3% were entirely inaccurate. When comparing video posts to picture posts: among video posts, 50% accurate information, 42% partially accurate or incomplete information, and 7% were entirely inaccurate. In contrast, picture posts demonstrated higher accuracy rates, with 81% being accurate, 19% partially accurate or potentially misleading, and none being inaccurate.

Conclusion

Our analysis illustrates diverse obstetric anesthesia-related content on Instagram. Future research should assess accuracy variations among different obstetric healthcare provider types on social media and provide strategies for healthcare providers to improve engagement, maintain accuracy, and navigate time constraints when sharing medical information.