Integration of Social Media to Enhance Engagement With a Medical Education Website: A Content Analysis

Social media (SM) use in medical education (MedEd) has increased, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, as virtual platforms became essential for training. Social media offers unique tools to support diverse learning styles, address gaps in curricula, and promote digital literacy.

We examined how integrating social media with a medical education (MedEd) website enhanced engagement.

This is an original prospective content analysis. A review of literature identified best practices and interventions to improve the reach of SM platforms, such as quizzes and links to new content. Criteria to implement these interventions were based on the favorability of platforms from audiences, characteristics/features of various digital platforms, ease of content production, and engagement measurability. The number of likes, followers, and impressions, as well as the number and type of website users from X, Instagram, and the MedEd website, were collected between May 2022 and July 2025. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and trend analysis were performed.

During this period, 23 posts on X and 45 posts on Instagram led to follower increases of 53 to 112 (111.3%) and 170 to 449 (164.1%), respectively. Instagram posts averaged 13 likes and 473 impressions; X posts averaged three likes and 401 impressions. Website usage increased over time and averaged 544 users/month, with 337 new users/month, with 15,784/21,302 (74.1%) comprising healthcare professional students. Website traffic was significantly higher when social media posts were live (p=0.012).

Purposeful integration of social media for a MedEd website can expand reach and engagement of learners. This model serves as a proof of concept for other educators, and strategies are widely applicable.