Go V.I.R.A.L.: Social Media Engagement Strategies in Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Social media has emerged as a tool to facilitate communication and dissemination of information for both patients and healthcare professionals. We describe 3 social media engagement strategies used to reach a broad and diverse audience on the topics of infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship, including the use of memes, a clue-based knowledge assessment quiz, and a personality quiz. We describe a novel acronym "VIRAL" to guide engaging social media strategies in healthcare, including eye catching Visuals, Interactive content, showing Respect and empathy for the audience, Adapting to new technology, and making Learning fun.

Keywords: antimicrobial stewardship; engagement; infectious diseases; medicine; social media.