Examination of attitudes of students of biomedical sciences towards the applicability of social media in communication with patients

Abstract

Technology development, higher Internet and smart devices accessibility have contributed to increasing the use and application of social media, online platforms and applications in healthcare, where healthcare professionals use social media both privately and while performing professional tasks (1, 2). The aim of the research was to examine attitudes of biomedical sciences students towards application of social media in communication with patients. A questionnaire was created, then distributed using the Snowball technique. 311 students participated, all of whom used social media at least once. YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook are the most used platforms, used daily (97.11%) for personal and/or professional use. 82.24% believe helping patients to understand online information is a new pharmacists' duty in digital age, and 61.09% that it is their obligation to keep up with current trends in social media usage. The majority thinks that social media have the potential to improve communication between pharmacists and patients (76.38%) and that it is ethically acceptable for pharmacists to communicate with patients through social media (55.63%), without violating their confidentiality (53,23%). Every second student thinks that it is ethically unacceptable for a pharmacist to communicate with a patient through social media private accounts, and to visit patients' profiles (51.77%). Encouraging is that 92.60% find it unacceptable that patients' confidential information is shared without patients' consent. The results indicate a positive attitude of biomedical sciences students about using social media to help patients understand information available online, and that social media have the potential to improve communication between pharmacists and patients.

Razvoj tehnologije, veća dostupnost interneta i pametnih uređaja, doprineli su povećanju upotrebe i primene društvenih mreža, onlajn platformi i aplikacija u zdravstvu, gde zdravstveni radnici društvene mreže koriste u svom privatnom životu, ali i u obavljanju svojih profesionalnih dužnosti (1,2). Cilj istraživanja je bio da se ispitaju stavovi studenata biomedicinskih nauka o primeni društvenih mreža u komunikaciji sa pacijentima. Namenski je kreiran upitnik, koji je distribuiran Snowball tehnikom. U istraživanju je učestvovalo 311 studenata, od kojih su svi barem nekada koristili društvene mreže. YouTube, Instagram i Facebook su društvene mreže koje najviše koriste i to svakodnevno (97,11%), za ličnu i/ili profesionalnu upotrebu. 82,24% smatra da je pomaganje pacijentima u razumevanju informacija dostupnih online nova dužnost farmaceuta u digitalnom dobu, a 61,09% da je njihova obaveza da budu u toku sa trenutnim trendovima u korišćenju društvenih mreža. Većina je mišljenja da društvene mreže imaju potencijal da unaprede komunikaciju između farmaceuta i pacijenta (76,38%) i da je etički prihvatljivo za farmaceuta da komunicira sa pacijentom putem društvenih mreža (55,63%), bez narušavanja njihovog poverljivog odnosa (53,23%). Svaki drugi student smatra da nije etički prihvatljivo za farmaceuta da komunicira sa pacijentom preko privatnih naloga na društvenim mrežama, i da posećuje profil pacijenata na društvenim mreža (51,77%). Ohrabruje rezultat da 92,60% nedopustivim smatra deljenje poverljivih informacija o pacijentima bez njihovog pristanka. Rezultati ukazuju na pozitivan stav studenata biomedicinskih nauka u korišćenju društvenih mreža u pomaganju pacijentima u razumevanju informacija dostupnih online, kao i da društvene mreže imaju potencijal da unaprede komunikaciju između farmaceuta i pacijenta.