JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Gender disparities in academic medicine persist, particularly in male-dominated fields such as orthopedic surgery. Social media platforms are reshaping academic communication, though data describing gender differences in use and engagement limited.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to analyze gender-based differences in X use, influence, and engagement among individual orthopedic surgeons.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study evaluated publicly available data from the 2023 U.S. News and World Report top 20 hospitals for orthopedic surgery. Demographic data, apparent gender (binary), and public X (formerly Twitter) data were collected.

Results:

Of 1,327 orthopedic surgeons, 25% were on X. X-users were more likely to hold leadership roles (p<0.001), higher faculty appointments (p<0.001), and additional advanced degrees (p=0.007). Women X-user (vs men) were less likely to be full professors (12% vs 20%); p=0.041). While women (vs men) had similar numbers of followers, following, and posts (p>0.05), women liked more posts (median 242 vs 35, p=0.006) and were more likely to mention being a parent, spouse, or hobbies/interests (24.4% vs 12.1%; p=0.048).

Conclusions:

Orthopedic surgeons on X were more likely to have higher academic rank, leadership titles, and dual degrees, though gender disparities persisted with women X-users harboring lower rates of full professorship. Women orthopedic surgeons were more actively engaged with other posts on X. The motivation behind these trends is worthy of further study.