Strategic Research Dissemination: PECARN’s 4-Year Social Media Impact Study

Study Overview

Professional research dissemination requires dedicated infrastructure—not an afterthought. From 2020 to 2023, PECARN teamed up with Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) to develop and manage a systematic social media strategy (specifically Twitter/X) focused on amplifying research impact. This deliberate investment in professional digital scholarship has been documented in a peer-reviewed study published in JMIR Formative Research, providing an evidence-based roadmap for research organizations navigating the evolving dissemination landscape. The collaboration represents a fundamental shift from casual social media use to rigorous, academically-sound digital scholarship.

The Team Infrastructure and Deliberate Design

Successful organizational social media requires systematic methodology with measurable outcomes. PECARN’s approach involved a multi-disciplinary team with specific expertise areas, including content writers with clinical knowledge, peer reviewers ensuring academic accuracy, account monitors managing daily engagement, an analytics specialist tracking performance metrics, and a graphic designer optimizing visual content effectiveness.

This team structure ensured consistent quality control through a peer review process for all content, recognizing that organizational credibility depends on maintaining scholarly standards across all communication channels. Regular analytics reviews of the reach and engagement data drove iterative optimization.

The investment in professional infrastructure reflects the reality that effective research dissemination in the social media landscape demands similar deliberate planning and resource allocation as the research itself. Organizations that treat social media as casual or informal risk undermining their academic credibility while missing opportunities for meaningful impact and amplification.

Key Findings

Through statistical analysis of 461 tweets about 99 PECARN journal publications over 39 months, three content characteristics demonstrated significant correlation with both engagement and academic impact.

  1. Interactive polls emerged as the strongest engagement driver, allowing audiences to test clinical knowledge before revealing study findings.
  2. Professional graphics showed substantial impact on visual appeal and engagement metrics.
  3. URL links provided direct research access and contributed to enhanced Altmetric Attention Scores.

The academic impact extends well beyond social media metrics. Featured PECARN publications experienced a median increase of 4.0 points in Altmetric Attention Scores, providing quantifiable evidence of enhanced scholarly visibility. This represents meaningful academic impact that complements traditional citation metrics, offering research organizations additional evidence of dissemination effectiveness for reporting to funding agencies and institutional leadership.

The systematic approach delivered measurable outcomes across multiple dimensions. Over four years, the initiative reached more than 2,000 followers with 47.7% being emergency physicians. Additionally, 60.7% of followers were US-based, reflecting successful domestic research impact alignment with PECARN’s mission.

Implications for Research Organizations

Federal funding agencies are increasingly emphasizing research dissemination and public engagement in grant requirements. Organizations that develop deliberate dissemination strategies are better positioned to meet these evolving expectations. Measuring reach and impact represent key priorities for stakeholders and funding bodies.

The success of our 4-year initiative growing our Twitter/X presence suggests that research dissemination expertise represents an important emerging competency within academic medicine. These skills combine traditional research knowledge with digital communication capabilities.

Take home messages

  1. For Research Organizations: Professional social media dissemination requires systematic infrastructure with dedicated team roles, quality control processes, and analytics-driven optimization—treating it as legitimate academic work rather than an informal afterthought.
  2. For Funding Agencies and Institutional Leadership: Evidence-based social media strategies deliver quantifiable academic impact, including measurable Altmetric Attention Score improvements and capturing the intended professional audience.
  3. For Strategic Planning: Early adoption of research dissemination strategies positions organizations advantageously as federal funding agencies increasingly emphasize dissemination requirements, with research dissemination expertise emerging as a recognized professional competency.

Reference

  1. Hooley GC, Magana JN, Woods JM, et al. Research Dissemination Strategies in Pediatric Emergency Care Using a Professional Twitter (X) Account: A Mixed Methods Developmental Study of a Logic Model Framework. JMIR Form Res. 2025;9:e59481. Published 2025 Jun 24. doi:10.2196/59481. PMID 40554778

Michelle Lin, MD

Michelle Lin, MD

University of California, San Francisco

This website is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the Emergency Medical Services for Children Data Center award totaling $3,200,000 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.