Doctors and social media: knowledge gaps and unsafe practices

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Digital Health
• Professionalism

Background:

• The proliferation of communication tools presents new challenges for doctors.
• Understanding doctors' knowledge and practices regarding social media is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess doctors' knowledge and practices concerning social media use.
• To identify knowledge gaps in social media application among healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous electronic survey was distributed to 931 doctors at National University Hospital, Singapore.
• The survey included demographic questions, social media usage details, and scenario-based questions on professionalism and patient-doctor relationships.

Main Results:

• A low response rate of 12.8% was observed.
• Most doctors (93.3%) use social media but lack formal education on its use (84.0%).
• Significant gaps exist in understanding institutional policies and privacy settings, with some doctors unsure about posting patient-related content.

Conclusions:

• Doctors exhibit inadequate knowledge of social media policies and privacy settings.
• Ambiguity persists in online practices involving patients, despite general agreement on caution.
• Continuing medical education is essential to bridge knowledge deficits and promote safe social media practices.