Potential Role of Twitter at an Annual Congress in Japan ― Narrative Literature Review of “Tweet the Meeting” ―

Abstract

Background: Twitter has become increasingly popular at annual medical congresses as a platform to communicate to attendees. In contrast, Twitter is not as frequently used in Japan as compared with other countries. Herein, we reviewed the literature and discuss the potential role and risks of "tweet the meeting" in Japan. Methods and Results: We performed a literature review to consider the recent trend of tweeting the meeting, including benefits and how to tweet, as well as potential risks. Upon officially deciding to tweet the meeting, a number of societies and professional organizations developed strategies to enhance the attendees' experience using multiple modalities and guides. Although there are several risks, we provide a concise guide to tweeting the meeting for the Japanese audience, which could be useful for understanding what should be done before and during a conference. Conclusions: The use of Twitter at medical congresses has many possibilities, and there are numerous potentials in many areas. We should discuss this in the light of the benefits for congress attendees in Japan.