Best Practices for Instagram in Medical Education: A Study With Randomized Post Designs

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.

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.

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.

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.