Examining social media and academic social network use, and trends in physician-patient communication via social media: a national study

Abstract

Introduction: In the history of the internet, social media occupy an exceptional place because they bring about sociological changes and cause things that will influence the course of history. It has become inevitable to conduct a study that examines the changes in the relationship between academic social networks and online patient-physician relationships, which have become widespread in recent years, especially among physicians. This study attempted to address this deficiency.
 Material and Method: An online survey was created on Google Forms that included questions about physicians' use of social and academic media networks and their communication habits with online patients. Age, gender, medical specialty and workplace, social media use, academic social networks usage, and relationships with patients via social media were analyzed.
 Results: Daily social media usage was significantly associated with age and medical specialty. Participants aged 40-50 and Basic Medic Science Consultants were least likely to use social media. The use of Facebook was the lowest among those under 30 (12.2%). Among those under 30, the use of LinkedIn was deficient (2.0%). Google Scholar was the most frequently used academic social network (38.5%). Surgical specialists were more likely to share medical content. Under 30 and over 50 were more likely to share their medical titles on social media than other groups. The percentage of those who reported having also physically examined the patient during online communication was 64.5%. This high rate is by no means negligible. Patients' most frequent responses to online communication requests were via WhatsApp (80.3%). The under-30 age group was found to have less contact with patients on social media. 
 Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the use of the academic social network is lower than expected, even among academically active participants. The fact that Facebook usage is significantly lower among those under 30 suggests that Facebook is outdated as a social medium for young physicians. Participants in university hospitals, private clinics, and those under 40 use social media differently than other groups. More online patient communication is an important advance. It is also significant that the number of studies has increased after online communication. If investments are made in this topic, it can be expected that a substantial part of patient-doctor relationships will be handled online soon. However, social media studies wear out quickly, so they should be repeated frequently.