#Laryngology: A Standardized Hashtag Ontology

Background

In the past decade, there has been a rise in social media applications and usage among individuals in the otolaryngology- head and neck surgery (OHNS) community. Hashtags (#), used to identify posts relating to similar topics, are utilized to search medical information, build a network, find providers, and discuss research. Previous OHNS literature in this arena includes a standard ontology, or list of hashtags, developed for the otology subspecialty. To date, the ontology of laryngology hashtags has not been created. The objective of this study is to propose a standardized ontology to use when discussing topics in laryngology on social media to maximize reach and effect.

Methods

Using a combination of previously published techniques, along with laryngology specific adjustments, the authors developed a list of suggested hashtags. An initial list was systematically culled from laryngology Instagram accounts including academic programs, laryngology influencers (fellowship-trained laryngologists with publicly available professional accounts with greater than 500 followers), and professional societies/conferences. The list was abbreviated using current rate of use, specificity, and expert opinion. These were then categorized to include general terms, diseases and diagnoses, and treatment strategies

Results

Across all culled Instagram posts, there were 240 unique laryngology hashtags used and 1152 total hashtags were applied. The authors derived unique terms to be included in the ontology for laryngology by expert opinion of fellowship-trained laryngologists.

Conclusion

Laryngology is in the early stages of utilization of social media. Developing a specific ontology of hashtags to be used will optimize the reach and connections of term specific searches.