#emergencymedicine: A TikTok Content Analysis of Emergency Medicine-related Content

TikTok has rapidly become one of the most extensively downloaded and used social media platforms worldwide. Our focus on emergency medicine (EM)-related content on TikTok is to identify what specific video characteristics result in higher degrees of audience engagement, defined in this study as a total of video likes, comments, and shares.

Five second-year medical students using newly created TikTok accounts independently downloaded the first 100 videos to appear using the hashtag #emergencymedicine. The videos were reviewed for 52 variables. We performed a multiple linear regression analysis to examine the relationship between the variables and video engagement.

Of the examined videos, 45.8% (222/484) were produced by physicians (MD or DO). Approximately half, 50.0% (242/484), had an educational component, while 55.4% (268/484) of videos were judged to have an entertainment component. Preliminary findings indicate that among TikTok videos featuring #emergencymedicine, a statistically significant positive correlation exists between video engagement and the presence of a healthcare identifier, (ie, individuals wearing white coats or scrubs). No significant correlation was observed between video engagement and video creators' self-identification as a healthcare professional, use of entertainment, or use of education. A notable negative correlation was identified between video engagement and the inclusion of music.

We identified qualities associated with negative and positive correlation with video engagement. For the 100 videos, only healthcare attire, such as wearing a white coat or scrubs, showed a significant positive correlation with engagement, while those with background music showed a negative correlation. Our study offers insight into how EM professionals can effectively use characteristics associated with higher engagement rates to relay information to a wider audience on TikTok.