No filter: A characterization of #pharmacist posts on Instagram

Area of Science:

• Social Media Analysis
• Digital Health Communication
• Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background:

• Instagram is a growing platform for professional and public health outreach.
• Understanding the content shared by pharmacists on social media is crucial for professional advocacy and patient education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the intent behind Instagram posts using the hashtag #pharmacist.
• To determine relationships between post categories, self-portrayed images, and health care relevance.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, cross-sectional, mixed-methods study analyzed 661 Instagram posts with #pharmacist from November 2014 to November 2015.
• Posts were categorized based on content, including self-portrayed images and health care relation.
• Data were collected from a 14-day random sample over the 1-year period.

Main Results:

• The majority of posts (19.7%) were categorized as 'Celebration,' followed by 'Work Experience' (18.6%) and 'Advertisement' (12.6%).
• Less than 25% of posts featured self-portrayed images ('selfies').
• A significant majority (88%) of posts were related to health care.

Conclusions:

• Instagram serves as a valuable emerging platform for pharmacists to enhance patient education, professional advocacy, and public health outreach.
• The prevalent celebratory nature and health care focus of #pharmacist posts indicate potential for public engagement and education on pharmacist roles.
• Analyzing social media content provides insights into the professional identity and public perception of pharmacists.