Research Dissemination Strategies in Pediatric Emergency Care Using a Professional Twitter (X) Account: A Mixed Methods Developmental Study of a Logic Model Framework

Abstract

Background: Research dissemination is a vital step in bridging the gap between the publication of cutting-edge research and its adoption into clinical practice. Social media platforms like Twitter (rebranded as X) offer promising channels for dissemination, yet research organizations lack clear guidance on establishing a professional social media presence. We present a structured framework based on our research network's multiyear experience developing a Twitter account for research dissemination.

Objective: This study aimed to provide a roadmap for organizations aiming to create a professional Twitter account for research dissemination.

Methods: This was a mixed methods study analyzing the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) Twitter team's 4-year experience (2020-2023) with building a social media account. Using the nominal group technique qualitative approach, we recorded insights from the 6 team members' experiences in a round-robin fashion until response saturation. In addition, we analyzed internal Slack (Slack Technologies) communications to identify key developmental events. Together, these were then prioritized by consensus to elucidate key developmental events that enhanced both social media and scientific engagement. This process was informed by quantitative data from Twitter performance metrics and Altmetric Attention Scores for journal publications collected over a 39-month period. Together, these elements informed the design of a logic model framework.

Results: The nominal group technique generated 63 thematic statements which included issues such as organizational structure, content strategy, technologies, analytics, organizational priorities, and challenges. These statements coalesced into the 7 domains (priorities, assumptions, inputs, outputs, outcomes, and external factors) that comprise the logic model. Inputs included organizational support (eg, executive-level champion and funding), specialized personnel (eg, content writer and analytics manager), and operational technologies (eg, communications and data analytics tools). Outputs encompassed targeted activities, such as engaging with other Twitter accounts, publishing high-quality tweets highlighting scholarly work, and developing a dynamic operations manual for the Twitter team. Outcomes were measured through tweet metrics, account analytics, and article-level impact scores.

Conclusions: Our logic model roadmap, based on our practical multiyear experience and data-driven strategies, can serve as a guide for research organizations or medical institutions aiming to incorporate Twitter or other social media platforms for research dissemination.

Keywords: academic medicine; clinical practice; data-driven; knowledge translation; logic model; medical education; medical institution; medical social media; mixed methods study; professional social media account; professional twitter; qualitative approach; quantitative data; research dissemination; social media; twitter.

Figure 1

Proposed logic model for implementing a professional organizational Twitter account for research dissemination.

Figure 2

Example of a typical week’s tweet thread discussing a PECARN publication. The first tweet in the series included an image, hashtags, emojis, and a URL link. Subsequent threaded tweets also included bullet points.

Figure 3

Total number of @PECARNteam Twitter account followers by month (May 2020-August 2023).