Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Medical Education
Date Submitted: Jun 24, 2025
Date Accepted: Feb 23, 2026
Using Instagram in Medical Education: A Cross-Sectional Study on Video Engagement Metrics
ABSTRACT
Background:
Social media has become essential tool for delivering formal and informal educational content, including medical education. Instagram-based educational initiatives have shown strong engagement and improved learning outcomes in accounts created for research purposes. Yet, empirical evidence on real-life account content engagement remains limited.
Objective:
To identify engaging types of posts, determine optimal video length for medical education, and provide evidence-based recommendations to medical educators on social media content.
Methods:
Cross-sectional study analyzed real life Instagram medical education account data from Instagram Insights. Insights` post-related data, reach, views and watch time were employed. Focus was set on video posts. Video posts were categorized based on their type; theoretical, clinical, health promotion or entertaining; and implementation; animation, with human models or with medical models. Video length was stratified into three categories: ≤60 seconds, 61-120 seconds and >120 seconds. Kruskal-Wallis was used to test whether video type, implementation or length correlated to reach, views or watch time.
Results:
Between May 26th 2020 to May 3rd 2024, 125 video posts were included. The median reach, the number of unique viewers, was 5317 (range 840-26221). Health promotion and awareness videos reached greater reach and view counts, the total number of video plays, compared to theory (P<.001), clinical skills (P<.001), and entertainment videos (P=.037). The shortest (≤60s) and the longest (>120 s) videos had greater reach and views compared with 61–120 second (P<.001) videos. However, shorter videos (≤60s) had significantly higher relative watch time, percentage of the video watched by viewer, (P<.001). The implementation method - animation, human model, or medicalmodel - did not significantly affect video engagement.
Conclusions:
Analyzing a real-life Instagram medical educational account demonstrates leveraging a variety of content formats content engages the audience. Our results show that both professional and non-professional content may be used for audience engagement and thus learning.
Citation
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Copyright
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