How social media campaigns can help ophthalmologists take back control

During the COVID pandemic, patients were subjected to an enormous amount of health misinformation online. In an effort to counter unfounded claims made by “non-experts” on a variety of topics, more physicians have begun using social media to share evidence-based education. Within ophthalmology in particular, nearly 40% of ophthalmologists report that they use social media in a professional context.¹

With the potential to reach millions of people, social media is an invaluable tool for doctors to speak directly to patients and the public. A social media campaign, in particular, is one of the best ways for physicians to unite under a common cause and maximize their reach.

Herein, I provide tips for launching a successful social media campaign using examples of recent physician-led campaigns.

CREATE EYE-CATCHING VISUAL CONTENT

Whether using a static image or a video, the visuals must catch the audience’s attention. In the case of a photo, I led a study in 2022 that demonstrated a picture of a physician in professional attire (white coat or scrubs) performed the best on Instagram.² For video, a catchy clip under 1-minute in length performs the best on Instagram and TikTok.

Recently, I partnered with a group of surgeons from the Refractive Surgery Alliance to launch a social media campaign in response to the heavily publicized FDA Draft guidance for LASIK patient labeling recommendations, which presented an unbalanced view of LASIK by excluding relevant peer-reviewed literature on its safety and efficacy. We created a sleekly edited video showcasing more than 40 refractive surgeons who had LASIK performed on themselves and their families. What better way to demonstrate our belief in the technology and regain public trust than by presenting the LASIK doctor as the patient?

USE A CATCHY CAMPAIGN #HASHTAG

Hashtags are searchable keywords used by many social media platforms to categorize different types of content. These are usually placed in the beginning or end of the poster’s caption. Prominent examples of successful physician-led social media campaigns have all relied on smart, catchy hashtags.

One example of a hashtag is the 2018 #VerifyHealthcare campaign, in which medical professionals across the country shared their educational background and credentials on Instagram in an effort to encourage patients to vet and research the credibility and expertise of individuals (many of whom do not have scientific or medical training) who share health information on social media. To date, hundreds of healthcare professionals have joined the campaign along with more than 1,000 posts under the #VerifyHealthcare hashtag.

ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION

Viral social media campaigns are inclusive by default. Because the content is shared on multiple accounts belonging to different physician and/or professional organization accounts, the reach is multiplied when reshared by even more accounts across various platforms. Captions should encourage fellow colleagues to join the campaign by posting their own content and using the same hashtag.

In ophthalmology, professional societies have used social media hashtags to advocate for eye safety and awareness. In 2020, people protesting the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis suffered sight-threatening eye injuries due to law enforcement’s use of rubber bullets. The AAO led a social media campaign by sharing photos of injured protesters under the headline “Using your voice shouldn’t mean losing your vision.” In this campaign, they encouraged thousands of ophthalmologists to condemn the use of sight-threatening weapons against protesters by reposting using #NotOneMoreEye and #NoRubberBullets.

AMPLIFY THE MESSAGE BEYOND SOCIAL MEDIA

To maximize impact and reach, the viral content should break out beyond the confines of social media. Successful campaigns can capture the attention of large news media outlets, including national and local newspapers, magazines and television stations.

In 2020, in response to increasing xenophobia and hate crimes committed against the Asian Pacific Islander community during the height of the COVID pandemic, I led a team of Asian-American physicians and helped to create a viral video that was shared across social media as part of the #Hateisavirus campaign. It was ultimately picked up by various major news outlets, including CNN, NBC, Good Morning America and Huff-Post,^3-5 which allowed our content to be shared with millions more people beyond our own followers on social media.

CONCLUSION

In an era of misinformation and fear-mongering headlines, social media is a powerful and effective communication tool. Ophthalmologists can utilize social media campaigns to amplify important messages about eye health and education and reach patients far beyond their own exam rooms. OM

REFERENCES

1. Al-Khersan H, Lazzarini TA, Fan KC, et al. Social media in ophthalmology: An analysis of use in the professional sphere. Health Informatics J. 2020: 26(4):2967-2975.
2. Huang AS, Abdullah AAN, Chen K, Zhu D. Ophthalmology and Social Media: An In-Depth Investigation of Ophthalmologic Content on Instagram. Clin Ophthalmol. 2022 Mar 8;16:685-694.
3. Nextshark. Asian American Doctors Create Emotional Video Everyone Should See. https://nextshark.com/asian-american-doctors-unity-dr-dagny-zhu . Accessed Jan. 5, 2023.
4. Good Morning America. Asian American front-line workers share powerful anti-racist messages amid COVID-19. https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/asian-american-front-line-workers-share-powerful-anti-70582315 . Accessed Jan. 5, 2023.
5. HuffPost. Asian American Doctors Created A Video To Challenge COVID-19 Racism. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/asian-american-doctors-video-covid-19-racism_n_5ebd8cd5c5b62f5c3026ecb4 . Accessed Jan. 5, 2023.

Dagny Zhu, MD, is a cornea, cataract and refractive surgeon currently practicing as medical director and partner at NVISION Eye Centers in Rowland Heights, Calif. She was named to Ophthalmology Management’s 40 Under 40 in 2022 and is active on social media with more than 50,000 followers on Instagram. Follow her @DZEyeMD on Instagram as well as on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn.