Abstract
BackgroundClinicians frequently have questions about patient care. However, for more than half of the generated questions, answers are never pursued, and if they are, often not answered satisfactorily. We aimed to characterise the clinical questions asked and answers provided by general practitioners (GP) through posts to a popular professional social media network.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, we analysed clinical questions and answers posted between January 20th and February 10th 2018 on a popular GP-restricted (Australia, New Zealand) Facebook group. Each clinical question was categorised according to ‘background’ or ‘foreground’ question; type (e.g. treatment, diagnosis); and the clinical topic (e.g. cardiovascular). Each answer provided in response to included questions was categorised into: (i) short answer (e.g. agree/disagree); (ii) provided an explanation to justify the answer; and (iii) referred to a published relevant evidence resource.ResultsOf 1060 new posts during the study period, 204 (19%) included a clinical question. GPs most commonly asked about treatment (n = 87; 43%) and diagnosis (n = 59; 29%). Five major topics (23% skin, 10% psychology, 9% cardiovascular, 8% female genital, and 7% musculoskeletal) accounted for 118 (58%) questions. Each question received on average 10 (SD = 9) answers: 42% were short; 51% provided an explanation; and only 6% referred to relevant research evidence. Only 3 answers referred to systematic reviews.ConclusionsIn this sample of Australian and New Zealand GPs, who were members of a GP social media group, GPs asked clinical questions that can be organised into a limited number of question types and topics. This might help guide the development of GP learning programs.
Highlights
IntroductionFor more than half of the generated questions, answers are never pursued, and if they are, often not answered satisfactorily [5, 6] – suggested missed opportunities for continuous learning
Clinicians frequently have questions about patient care
During the study period, 504 general practitioners (GP) contributed a total of 1060 new posts, of which 204 (19%) included a clinical question
Summary
For more than half of the generated questions, answers are never pursued, and if they are, often not answered satisfactorily [5, 6] – suggested missed opportunities for continuous learning. Addressing clinicians’ personal knowledge gaps provides an opportunity for continuing learning, and enhanced patient care. This is especially important for general practitioners (GPs) as their information needs are much broader than that of other specialties because of the wider spectrum of clinical problems encountered [8]. Understanding clinicians’ use of social media networks to overcome information overload and address clinical questions generated from patient care is warranted. We aimed to characterise the clinical questions asked and answers provided by general practitioners and posted to a popular professional social media network. Answers (number of answers per question; median [IQR]) 7 [4–14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
