Use of social media for online consultation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Attitudes of the medical professionals

Abstract

Background: Healthcare providers are facing unprecedented challenges in the era of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The current situation compels the use of alternatives for communication between the patients and healthcare providers. The use of telemedicine has expanded globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. The range of online consultations varies from advising patients to providing diagnosis and follow-up. Methods: We assessed the attitudes of health professionals toward the use of social media for online consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic using an online survey that was distributed to medical professionals in Iraq. Results: The total number of participants was 124 Iraqi medical professionals in different specialties (72.4% men and 27.6% women). The majority of participants (71.6%) reported that they had previous experience with online consultation and patient communication using social media before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A large proportion of the participants (72.2%) indicated that online consultation was useful for patient health and safety. Conclusions: Despite the limitations facing online consultation and lack of proper infrastructure for telemedicine in Iraq, many health professionals indicated a positive attitude and recommend extending the use of online consultation after the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.