Impact of Social Media on Undergraduate Orthopaedics and Traumatology Education in Sudan

Background: The use of social media (SM) in health profession education has been shown to be beneficial for the promotion of student collaboration and enhancement of learning. However, this is an evolving area where comparative studies are lacking, and further research is needed to determine the best ways to use SM in medical schools and identify the outcomes. Objectives: This study aimed to consider SM application-based discussion groups as a method of using SM in medical education to assess the effect on students’ examination grades and students’ attitudes toward it. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 182 fourth-year medical students taking the orthopedics and traumatology course were divided into two groups. In the study group (n = 78), SM-based discussion was adopted as a supplementary learning tool. No additional teaching methods were used in the control group (n = 104). The final grades of the students from the two groups were analyzed, together with the data collected from an online questionnaire completed by the students in the study group. Results: There was no statistically significant effect of using online discussions on the improvement of examination grades. However, 89.87% of the students felt that SM-based discussions motivated them to learn and enhanced their learning; nevertheless, 77.01% of the students believed that it is easier to ask questions in the forum than during outpatient clinics and clinical rounds, and lectures. The rates of students who agreed that this method was a helpful feedback and revision tool were 83.55% and 91.65%, respectively. Conclusions: WhatsApp and Telegram discussion groups represent a promising way to utilize SM in medical education as they promote students’ connection and learning. The SM applications could also provide valuable feedback and are regarded as revision tools. Nevertheless, there was no significant association between the implementation of this academic activity and better examination grades.