Evaluating perceptions of social media professionalism by healthcare workers

Social media use has expanded rapidly across healthcare, creating opportunities for professional networking, patient engagement, and education. However, difficulties have arisen in workplace support of social media use as opinions on professionalism differ among generations. There is no consensus on how social media professionalism is defined and enforced. Our objective is to examine healthcare professionals' perceptions of professional versus unprofessional social media behaviors, explore generational differences, and identify gaps in training and institutional guidelines.

We conducted a cross-sectional, quantitative survey at a large academic medical center. The survey, developed and pilot-tested for clarity and content validity, was distributed via institutional listservs to medical students, nurses, advanced practice providers, and physicians across multiple specialties. Respondents reported demographics, social media usage patterns, account types, and views on appropriateness of specific content for private versus public accounts. Bivariate analyses using chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were carried out to compare responses across age groups.

Of 389 consenting participants, 260 (67%) completed the survey. Most respondents were female (75.4%) and White (75.2%). Facebook and Instagram were the most common platforms (51.5% each). Generational differences emerged: younger participants (18-40 years) were more permissive of personal and lifestyle posts, while older groups (41-60 and 60+) were more restrictive. Most participants (84%) reported never receiving formal training on social media professionalism, though 69.8% endorsed its value, particularly at the medical school level. Awareness of standardized institutional guidelines was limited (43%).

Generational differences influence perceptions of social media professionalism in healthcare. Despite widespread social media use, formal training and guideline awareness remain limited. These findings support the need for structured education on digital professionalism and clearer institutional policies to balance personal expression with professional standards.