Social Media and Nutritional Guidelines in Pregnancy.

INTRODUCTION: Nutrition impacts health outcomes of pregnant people and their fetuses. Discussing nutrition with patients may be challenging for health care providers. In this vacuum, patients use social media for health information during pregnancy. Little is known about the type and quality of nutrition information that is available on social media. The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore the pregnancy nutrition messages contained in social media videos for content and evaluate the information's concordance with evidence-based guidelines. METHODS: A review of current social media video content for nutrition in pregnancy was conducted across 4 platforms: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Content analysis was used to descriptively and categorically analyze the social media video content. RESULTS: In the 62 social media videos reviewed, most were not consistent with established guidelines, were inaccurate, or presented a homogenous and unrealistic image of the pregnant person. Four categories of nutrition in pregnancy social media information emerged: what to eat, what not to eat, what I ate: aspirational, and what I ate: rebellion. Few videos were produced by health care organizations. Some were produced by anonymous organizations, with the majority made by pregnant or postpartum people. Many were testimonial or confessional in style. Despite regulations requiring identification of paid posts and advertisements, it was difficult to discern if videos were authentic sharing of patient experiences or advertisements. DISCUSSION: There is incorrect and incomplete information on social media surrounding nutrition in pregnancy. Professional guidelines for nutrition in pregnancy are available but are not as accessible to patients as social media videos. Social media use is associated with disordered eating and increased risk of anxiety and depression. However, targeted interventions by health care providers that use social media platforms have been successful in the distribution of credible health information. Midwives and other health care providers should share evidence-based nutrition recommendation with patients to facilitate meaningful conversations around nutrition in pregnancy during in person and online interactions.

Formal art observation training improves medical students' visual diagnostic skills.

BACKGROUND: Despite evidence of inadequate physical examination skills among medical students, teaching these skills has declined. One method of enhancing inspection skills is teaching "visual literacy," the ability to reason physiology and pathophysiology from careful and unbiased observation. OBJECTIVE: To improve students' visual acumen through structured observation of artworks, understanding of fine arts concepts and applying these skills to patient care. DESIGN: Prospective, partially randomized pre- vs. post-course evaluation using mixed-methods data analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four pre-clinical student participants were compared to 34 classmates at a similar stage of training. INTERVENTION: Training the Eye: Improving the Art of Physical Diagnosis consists of eight paired sessions of art observation exercises with didactics that integrate fine arts concepts with physical diagnosis topics and an elective life drawing session. MEASUREMENTS: The frequency of accurate observations on a 1-h visual skills examination was used to evaluate pre- vs. post-course descriptions of patient photographs and art imagery. Content analysis was used to identify thematic categories. All assessments were blinded to study group and pre- vs. post-course evaluation. RESULTS: Following the course, class participants increased their total mean number of observations compared to controls (5.41 +/- 0.63 vs. 0.36 +/- 0.53, p < 0.0001) and had increased sophistication in their descriptions of artistic and clinical imagery. A 'dose-response' was found for those who attended eight or more sessions, compared to participants who attended seven or fewer sessions (6.31 + 0.81 and 2.76 + 1.2, respectively, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: This interdisciplinary course improved participants' capacity to make accurate observations of art and physical findings.

From the galleries to the clinic: applying art museum lessons to patient care.

Increasingly, medical educators integrate art-viewing into curricular interventions that teach clinical observation-often with local art museum educators. How can cross-disciplinary collaborators explicitly connect the skills learned in the art museum with those used at the bedside? One approach is for educators to align their pedagogical approach using similar teaching methods in the separate contexts of the galleries and the clinic. We describe two linked pedagogical exercises--Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) in the museum galleries and observation at the bedside--from "Training the Eye: Improving the Art of Physical Diagnosis," an elective museum-based course at Harvard Medical School. It is our opinion that while strategic interactions with the visual arts can improve skills, it is essential for students to apply them in a clinical context with faculty support-requiring educators across disciplines to learn from one another.