key: cord-347870-lnwjr9be authors: Tsui, Edmund; Rao, Rajesh C.; Carey, Andrew R.; Feng, Matthew T.; Provencher, Lorraine M. title: Using Social Media to Disseminate Ophthalmic Information During the #COVID19 Pandemic date: 2020-06-02 journal: Ophthalmology DOI: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.05.048 sha: doc_id: 347870 cord_uid: lnwjr9be nan worldwide. 1 As cases of COVID-19 spread worldwide, so did sharing of experiences and 31 research via social media in efforts to mitigate the disease spread and to increase awareness. 32 Of note, the first warning came from an ophthalmologist, Dr. Li Wenliang, who had attempted to 33 inform his colleagues via the social media platform WeChat and subsequently on Weibo (a 34 Chinese microblogging website) about a suspected outbreak of SARS-like illness. 2,3 A 35 coordinated global response has since been important to enable preparedness amongst 36 healthcare workers, especially since healthcare workers are thought to be disproportionately 37 affected during the pandemic. Specific to ophthalmology, there has been a concern that eye 38 care providers are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 due to close working proximity 39 during an ophthalmic examination. 4,5 With this perspective, we outline how social media has 40 become increasingly integrated into our emergency response as a field. 41 In the early 2000s, when the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak affected 44 China, Hong Kong and Canada, prior to widespread use of social media networks, text and 45 instant messaging was primarily used for rapid communication. Now with over 2.9 billion users 46 worldwide, 6 social media with its constant accessibility has transformed how we communicate. 47 Compared to more traditional methods of communication, such as television or print material, 48 social media allows for instant dissemination of accurate information, which has been critical in 49 alerting both the public and healthcare sectors to evolving guidelines and treatments. 7 50 51 While there are many social media platforms, Twitter, in particular, has been widely used by 52 physicians. 8, 9 This microblogging platform allows authors to make short posts with up to 280 53 characters, along with an image or a link to another website. In the first quarter of 2020, Twitter 54 reported that its average daily users had increased by 24% over the previous year to 166 million 55 daily users, attributing much of that increase activity due to COVID-19. 10 The use of online preprint servers to disseminate COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 related research 143 has increased significantly. In the physical sciences, archives such as arXiv, have been in use 144 for nearly 30 years. In the biological sciences, bioRxiv was founded in 2013, and has seen 145 exponential growth. In contrast, the most popular medical research related server, medRxiv, 146 was launched in only 2019. The aim of these servers is to rapidly disseminate information, 147 increase collaboration, and invite feedback prior to formal peer review and journal publication. 148 During a time when rapid sharing of information and collaboration are needed to facilitate 149 discoveries of new treatments and further our understanding of this disease, preprint 150 manuscripts have garnered much attention through both traditional media and social media. 151 Preprints have been shared widely on social media and subject to comments by the public and 152 research community. 30 Unlike the use of preprint information in other disciplines, the use of 153 unvetted information in preprints in medical practice may harm individuals and thus they should 154 be viewed with caution by the research community and the media due to their unvetted nature . 155 In this regard, social media may lead to amplification of unvetted information, but also comment 156 on the limitations. For example, a recent headline of a preprint reporting that hydroxychloroquine compared to standard-of-care increased mortality in hospitalized veterans 158 with COVID-19 31 , was amplified by social media and prominent traditional media sources 32 and 159 within hours of the preprint upload social media commented on limitations of the study. 33 In 160 general, although rapid delivery of new information has many perceived advantages, preprints 161 should be treated with caution until after undergoing formal expert peer-review and publication 162 in an academic journal. 163 164 As the pandemic continues to evolve, social media will be an important avenue for physicians to 166 share experiences, collaborate on research, and initiate discussion on a global scale. Further 167 study into how social media platforms can be integrated into pandemic preparedness and 168 response will be critical. Freely accessible, peer-reviewed, high quality evidence from trusted 169 sources will also help combat widespread misinformation. Undoubtedly, the lessons learned 170 from this pandemic will better prepare us for inevitable future outbreaks. 171 Novel Coronavirus(2019-nCoV) Situation Report -13. World Health Organization Available at Ophthalmologists Are More Than Eye Doctors-178 The Chinese doctor who tried to warn others about coronavirus COVID-19 and ophthalmology: an underappreciated occupational 182 hazard Symptomatic COVID-19 in Eye Professionals in Wuhan Number of social network users worldwide from 2010 to 2023 Preparedness among Ophthalmologists: During and 189 Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic Social media in knowledge translation and education for 191 physicians and trainees: a scoping review Navigating Social Media in #Ophthalmology Estimated number of ophthalmologists 198 worldwide (International Council of Ophthalmology update): will we meet the needs? COVID-19: Global radiation oncology's targeted 201 response for pandemic preparedness The COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance: collecting data in a 203 pandemic What constitutes urgent endoscopy? A social media 205 snapshot of gastroenterologists' views during the COVID-19 pandemic No Time for Tears Considerations for the Management and Triage of 209 Ocular Oncology Cases during the COVID-19 Pandemic How doctors are using social media to develop 215 Stepping up infection control measures in 222 ophthalmology during the novel coronavirus outbreak: an experience from Hong Kong Protective shields for ophthalmic equipment to 225 minimise droplet transmission of COVID-19 Sustainable practice of ophthalmology during COVID-19: 230 challenges and solutions Ocular Findings and Proportion with Conjunctival SARS-234 COV-2 in COVID-19 Patients Assessing Viral Shedding and Infectivity of Tears 236 in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Patients Characteristics of Ocular Findings of Patients With Coronavirus 238 Disease 2019 (COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus(2019-nCoV) Situation Report -13 Scientific research on the coronavirus is being released in a torrent United States veterans hospitalized with Covid-19 Study finds no benefit, higher death rate in patients taking hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19