COVID-19 and Its Effect on Instagram Adoption by #OBGYN Residency Programs

Objectives Instagram (IG) is becoming one of the larger resource tools within medicine. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is becoming important for programs to improve virtual presence and outreach. We evaluated the adoption of IG by OB/GYN residency programs in the United States and aimed to see if highly ranked programs had higher utilization rates. Methods IG presence and engagement metrics were extracted for all ACGME accredited OB/GYN programs. Doximity residency navigator tool was used to obtain nationwide program rankings, and statistical analysis was performed to prove any significant correlation. Mann-Whitney U test, Cochran-Armitage test and Analysis of variance were used for analysis. IRB exemption was obtained. Results Seventy percent of programs (202/287) have IG presence, with the majority creating presence after the COVID pandemic began (115/202; 57%). Seventy-two percent (83/115) of these programs created their IG account once virtual interviews were announced. The top 25% of programs, as ranked on Doximity, have a higher number of posts, followers and likes when compared to the rest of the programs. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased adoption of IG by residency programs. Highly ranked and reputed programs have higher rates of activity, popularity, and engagement on IG.