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Social Media Use, Professionalism, and Professional Identity Among Medical Students and Early-Career Health Care
Fatima Elbasri Abuelgasim Mohammed1, Enas Osama Hassan Omer2, Ammar Elgadi1
1Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Alqast Street, Khartoum, 1111, Sudan, 249 121006598, 249 121006598.
Background:
Social media has become deeply embedded in medical training, yet its influence on professionalism and the developing professional identity of medical students and early-career doctors remains insufficiently understood, particularly in non-Western contexts.
Objective:
This study aimed to assess social media usage patterns, attitudes toward digital professionalism, related behaviors and experiences, and perceived benefits and risks among medical students and early-career health care graduates in Sudan, and to identify demographic and behavioral factors associated with key online behaviors and outcomes.
Methods:
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from June 2025 to August 2025 among 432 medical students, interns, early graduates, and residents in Sudan, recruited through convenience sampling. A structured, self-administered questionnaire developed specifically for this study assessed social media usage patterns, attitudes toward digital professionalism, related behaviors and experiences, and perceived benefits and risks. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariable logistic regression were performed using R software (version 4.4.2; R Foundation for Statistical Computing).
Results:
Of the 432 participants, 226 (52.3%) were female participants, and 343 (79.4%) spent at least 3 hours daily on social media. Attitudes toward digital professionalism were generally positive: 225 (52.1%) participants agreed or strongly agreed that their online presence reflects their professional identity, and 390 (90.3%) considered maintaining a professional image is important. Nearly half of the participants (n=199, 46.1%) had modified or removed posts for professional reasons. The most reported benefits were access to updated medical knowledge (n=321, 74.3%) and career development (n=260, 60.2%), while common concerns involved misinformation (n=287, 66.4%), negative public perception (n=199, 46.1%), and confidentiality breaches (n=198, 45.8%). Female participants were more likely to report heavy daily use of 5 hours or more (109/226, 48.2% vs 70/206, 33.9%; P=.004). In multivariable analysis, male sex (odds ratio 2.12, 95% CI 1.36-3.33; P<.001) and posting health care-related content (odds ratio 2.64, 95% CI 1.58-4.52; P<.001) independently predicted experiencing a negative outcome on social media, whereas confidence in distinguishing appropriate content showed no significant demographic variation.
Conclusions:
Medical students and early-career doctors in Sudan engage heavily with social media and recognize both its value and its risks to professional identity. These findings highlight the need for structured digital professionalism training and culturally sensitive guidelines to support safe and responsible online engagement.
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