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by Hashim Aslam
Many people, including medical students, lack a clear understanding of the breadth of anesthesiology,
from intraoperative management to critical care, pain, and perioperative medicine. TikTok and other social
media platforms offer an engaging way to educate and inspire Gen Z and millennial audiences. There is immense value in the intersection between technology and anesthesiology as well as the implication of digital professionalism and advocacy in an easily digestible, culturally relevant tone. With TikTok's rise (over 1 billion active users, many of them ages 18–34), this platform provides a free and accessible stage to reach both patients and individuals on the medical journey. This is the same demographic that makes up a large portion of both future patients and medical trainees.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are about 51.4 million inpatient surgical procedures performed annually. Given that most surgical procedures require some form of anesthesia, this suggests that a significant portion of these patients are exposed to anesthesia. In the United States, approximately 40 million anesthetics are administered across various medical settings, ranging from hospitals to outpatient surgery centers, and diagnostic clinics. These statistics underscore the prevalence of anesthesia exposure among the U.S. population, highlighting the importance of public education on anesthesia safety, the role of anesthesiologists, and what patients can expect before, during, and after procedures. According to a 2023 survey published in JMIR Medical Education, over 72% of subjects reported learning something new about a medical specialty through medically themed TikToks, and 56% said it improved their confidence going into a healthcare interaction.
Medical students often have limited exposure to anesthesiology during their training, which can influence their specialty choices. Exposure to anesthesia does not arise until further into their training, oftentimes during surgical rotations and leaves many wondering what does an anesthesiologist actually do? In a 2020 study in the Ochsner Medical Journal investigating the curriculum gap that exists between essential anesthesiology education and the associated clinical exposure, approximately 80% of U.S. medical schools do not mandate an independent anesthesiology rotation. Among the 20% that do, students typically spend an average of 2.7 weeks per year in such rotations, with no more than 1.8 weeks throughout their entire medical education. In addition to this, a significant portion of students (87%) reported minimal exposure to their eventual residency specialty before third-year clerkships. Clerkship experiences, particularly interactions with attendings and residents, were influential in specialty selection for 70% of students. These findings underscore the importance of early and structured exposure to various medical specialties, including anesthesiology, to inform and guide medical students in their career decisions. TikTok can be a powerful tool to bridge this gap as in a survey of 762 medical students, all participants reported using social media, with a median usage of 120 minutes per day. Among the same group, 86.1% used social media for medical education, with YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok being the most popular platforms for this purpose. These findings highlight the growing role of social media, particularly platforms like TikTok, in the lives of medical students, both as a source of information and a means of engagement.
Recorded TikTok videos can be up to 10 minutes in length whereas uploaded videos can last up to 1 hour. Through a combination of short clips and longer form content there are a multitude of themes that can be explored. One important category is myth-busting and answering questions such as “Do anesthesiologists just monitor vitals?, “Can anesthesia induce permanent memory loss”, “How do anesthesiologists make sure patients can breathe on their own after waking up”, etc. Another content area can be day-in-the-life vlogs, which include short clips inside ORs. This would be particularly helpful to medical students thinking of a future career in the field and knowing what to expect early in their training. Adding to this are possible quick explainer videos exploring core topics such as ASA classifications, sedation options, and airway management which would not only benefit those in the medical field but would also inform the general public if in layman's formatting. This is typically seen in conjunction with clips outlining what med students should know about applying to anesthesia, shadowing opportunities, and specific tips to succeed on rotations. By pairing solid evidence with storytelling and relatable visuals, TikTok allows anesthesiology content creators to engage patients, peers, and future providers in a way that is accessible, shareable, and impactful—bridging the knowledge gap one video at a time.
Any complete discussion of TikToks relationship with promoting anesthesia education cannot ignore the consideration, legal and ethical, of using such a platform as well as potential future directions of such a pairing. At the forefront is HIPAA compliance and matters of patient privacy. It would be best practice to use fictional scenarios or educational simulations, and get explicit consent from patients if real cases are used. It is critical to avoid sharing any identifiable patient information, that could allow someone to guess who the patient is. Even de-identified stories can breach HIPAA if they are too specific so any videos posted must be carefully examined and edited as needed. Another consideration is avoiding misinformation and oversimplification which can be a challenge due to the short nature of TikTok which is conducive to an environment where it may be tempting to oversimplify complex topics. A solution could be to stick to evidence-based facts and clearly state the limits of what is being shared, such as pointing out that the content is general advice and how every case is unique so for specific concerns to always talk to your doctor. This ties in with trying to balance entertainment with accuracy as social media has the advantage to leverage humor, music, and trends to draw interest, but it must be anchored with educational value and science. One final consideration is managing personal-professional boundaries. Social media can blur lines between personal identity and professional roles so for those creating content it may be necessary to keep a separate professional account, avoid posting while on duty or in scrubs, and ultimately staying respectful to the profession and avoiding inappropriate humor about patients or procedures. Important questions to ask during the process are “Am I being truthful and medically accurate?”, “Am I presenting myself in a way that rejects professionalism?”, and “Am I helping to build trust in the anesthesia community?” which can serve as great springboards to balance social media and anesthesiology outreach.
Date of last update: June 16, 2025
