scholarly journals E-Professionalism: challenges of being social in social media in health profession

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-8
Author(s):  
Nazish Imran ◽  
Masood Jawaid

The Digital revolution is set to influence medicine significantly in the coming days. Healthcare professionals should embrace the positive potential of social media (SM) and social networking sites (SNSs) and take advantage of these technologies and tools for their personal and professional development but also be aware of the potential impact of their online behaviors.Moorhead et al identified six arching domains of social media use by the general public, patients, and health professionals. These include Information provision and answering questions on various conditions; facilitation of dialogue between patients, and patients and healthcare professionals; data collection on patient experiences and opinions; SM use for health intervention;health promotion and health education; reduction of stigma & online consultations (Moorhead et al., 2013). Social media has various advantages, such as reaching an extensive audience, low cost, peer/social/emotional support, helping students to keep updated the latest health trends, helping them to formally and informally learn the material, prompt communication & potential to influence health policy (Moorhead et al., 2013; Mostaghimi &Crotty, 2011). At the same time, there are various limitations of social media use in healthcare. These include lack of reliability, information overload, lack of confidentiality & privacy, risks associated with providing incorrect advice using social media, concerns about the correct application of online information to one’s personal health & adverse health consequences. Furthermore, in some cases, social media may restrict patients from visiting health professionals (Moorhead et al., 2013).

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaista Salman Guraya ◽  
Salman Yousuf Guraya ◽  
Muhamad Saiful Bahri Yusoff

Abstract Background Despite a rapid rise of use of social media in medical disciplines, uncertainty prevails among healthcare professionals for providing medical content on social media. There are also growing concerns about unprofessional behaviors and blurring of professional identities that are undermining digital professionalism. This review tapped the literature to determine the impact of social media on medical professionalism and how can professional identities and values be maintained in digital era. Methods We searched the databases of PubMed, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and EBSCO host using (professionalism AND (professionalism OR (professional identity) OR (professional behaviors) OR (professional values) OR (professional ethics))) AND ((social media) AND ((social media) OR (social networking sites) OR Twitter OR Facebook)) AND (health professionals). The research questions were based on sample (health professionals), phenomenon of interest (digital professionalism), design, evaluation and research type. We screened initial yield of titles using pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria and selected a group of articles for qualitative analysis. We used the Biblioshiny® software package for the generation of popular concepts as clustered keywords. Results Our search yielded 44 articles with four leading themes; marked rise in the use of social media by healthcare professionals and students, negative impact of social media on digital professionalism, blurring of medical professional values, behaviors, and identity in the digital era, and limited evidence for teaching and assessing digital professionalism. A high occurrence of violation of patient privacy, professional integrity and cyberbullying were identified. Our search revealed a paucity of existing guidelines and policies for digital professionalism that can safeguard healthcare professionals, students and patients. Conclusions Our systematic review reports a significant rise of unprofessional behaviors in social media among healthcare professionals. We could not identify the desired professional behaviors and values essential for digital identity formation. The boundaries between personal and professional practices are mystified in digital professionalism. These findings call for potential educational ramifications to resurrect professional virtues, behaviors and identities of healthcare professionals and students.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Rost ◽  
Vittoria Espeli ◽  
Marc Ansari ◽  
Nicholas von der Weid ◽  
Bernice Elger ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The study aims to explore the attitudes of Swiss healthcare professionals towards the use of social media in adolescent and young adult oncology and to examine whether the ongoing social restrictions due COVID-19 might have altered these attitudes. Methods This study was cross-sectional in design. The subjects were healthcare providers working in pediatric or adult oncology settings in Switzerland. We performed descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Results While considered useful, only a small minority of participants actually used social media for professional reasons and considered themselves skillful in using these platforms. Although institutional guidelines were deemed crucial to improve social media use, many respondents seemed unaware of their existence. Only a minority reported an impact of Covid-19 on their attitudes towards the professional implementation of social media. Conclusion The global health crisis creates important challenges for young patients with cancer and their healthcare providers. In times of social restrictions, social media may be promising tools to facilitate health information provision, connectivity and patient care. Virtual mentorship and target social media training interventions might be the best way to improve familiarity with social media and with ethical guidelines for their use.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 696-718
Author(s):  
Yann Abdourazakou ◽  
Xuefei (Nancy) Deng ◽  
Gashaw Abeza

This study sought to examine season ticket holders’ usage of social networking sites during live sport consumption. Informed by uses and gratifications theory, the study examined three types of social media use by fans—Twitter/Facebook posting, Instagram/Snapchat posting, and mobile app use—during a live game. Survey data of 400 season ticket holders of a professional National Basketball Association team were analyzed. Regression results showed that age was a significant predictor of the fans’ in-game social media use in terms of Instagram/Snapchat posting and mobile app use, whereas gender was a significant predictor of their Twitter/Facebook posting behavior. Moreover, the study showed a mixed result for the predicted moderating effect of the season ticket holders’ tenure on the predicted relationships between the two personal characteristics (age and gender) and the three types of social media use. Theoretical and practical implications of the study for sports marketing management are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 205630511984874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Briana M. Trifiro ◽  
Jennifer Gerson

The existing literature regarding social media use provides extant evidence supporting the claim that usage patterns ultimately have the capability of impacting users. However, the vast majority of the literature is based upon experimental laboratory settings where participants are observed by researchers. The current article asserts that there is a significant deficiency within the discipline regarding the validated measurement of usage patterns of social networking sites (SNSs) and offers guidance for those who may want to develop a general measure.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Appel ◽  
Caroline Marker ◽  
Timo Gnambs

A growing number of studies have examined the psychological corollaries of using social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter (often called social media). The interdisciplinary research area and conflicting evidence from primary studies complicate the assessment of current scholarly knowledge in this field of high public attention. We review meta-analytic evidence on three hotly debated topics regarding the effects of SNSs: well-being, academic achievement, and narcissism. Meta-analyses from different laboratories draw a rather equivocal picture. They show small associations in the r = .10 range between the intensity of SNS use and loneliness, self-esteem, life satisfaction, or self-reported depression, and somewhat stronger links to a thin body ideal and higher social capital. There is no indication for potential devastating effects of social media on school achievement; social media use and school grades are unrelated for adolescents. The meta-analyses revealed small to moderate associations between narcissism and SNS use. In sum, meta-analytic evidence is not in support of dramatic claims relating social media use to mischief.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung Yeop Lee ◽  
Sang Woo Lee

The use of social media, such as social networking sites and instant messaging, in everyday life continues to spread, along with social media use in the workplace. This study examined how using social media like Facebook (social networking sites) and KakaoTalk (instant messaging) at work affects individual job performance. It also analyzed whether social media use has different effects on individual job performance depending on the characteristics of the given task. The results demonstrated that both Facebook and KakaoTalk had linearly positive effects on individual job performance. Moreover, task equivocality had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between KakaoTalk use and job performance. The results may have significant implications for firms reviewing their policies on employees’ social media use. Since using social media such as Facebook and KakaoTalk in the workplace improves job performance, firms may consider encouraging employees toward this practice. In particular, they may consider supporting those employees who perform tasks with high task equivocality in making use of instant messaging platforms.


Author(s):  
Michael Y Ni ◽  
Lin Yang ◽  
Candi M C Leung ◽  
Na Li ◽  
Xiaoxin I Yao ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The mental health consequences of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, community-wide interventions, and social media use during a pandemic are unclear. The first and most draconian interventions have been implemented in Wuhan, China, and these countermeasures have been increasingly deployed by countries around the world. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine risk factors, including the use of social media, for probable anxiety and depression in the community and among health professionals in the epicenter, Wuhan, China. METHODS We conducted an online survey via WeChat, the most widely used social media platform in China, which was administered to 1577 community-based adults and 214 health professionals in Wuhan. Probable anxiety and probable depression were assessed by the validated Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (cutoff ≥3) and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (cutoff ≥3), respectively. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine factors associated with probable anxiety and probable depression. RESULTS Of the 1577 community-based adults, about one-fifth of respondents reported probable anxiety (n=376, 23.84%, 95% CI 21.8-26.0) and probable depression (n=303, 19.21%, 95% CI 17.3-21.2). Similarly, of the 214 health professionals, about one-fifth of surveyed health professionals reported probable anxiety (n=47, 22.0%, 95% CI 16.6-28.1) or probable depression (n=41, 19.2%, 95% CI 14.1-25.1). Around one-third of community-based adults and health professionals spent ≥2 hours daily on COVID-19 news via social media. Close contact with individuals with COVID-19 and spending ≥2 hours daily on COVID-19 news via social media were associated with probable anxiety and depression in community-based adults. Social support was associated with less probable anxiety and depression in both health professionals and community-based adults. CONCLUSIONS The internet could be harnessed for telemedicine and restoring daily routines, yet caution is warranted toward spending excessive time searching for COVID-19 news on social media given the infodemic and emotional contagion through online social networks. Online platforms may be used to monitor the toll of the pandemic on mental health.


Author(s):  
Claudia Marino ◽  
Natale Canale ◽  
Fiordalisa Melodia ◽  
Marcantonio M. Spada ◽  
Alessio Vieno

Abstract Purpose of Review Over the last decade, problematic smartphone use (PSU) and problematic social media use (PSMU) have emerged as new potential problematic behaviours. Several studies have suggested that smartphones are predominantly used for social purposes (i.e., using messaging apps and social networking sites). The aim of the current article is to provide a systematic review of the extant literature that has explicitly analysed the association between PSU and PSMU in order to examine study characteristics in terms of samples analysed and effect sizes of the associations reported. This systematic review is based on the ongoing debate about whether the smartphone can be considered as the medium of one or more problematic activities, including PSMU. Recent Findings Existing evidence suggests that the effect sizes of the associations between PSU and PSMU are medium to large and large across the 13 studies included, with the largest correlations observed between PSU and problematic WhatsApp use or general PSMU. Overall, reviewed results suggest a partial overlap between the two problematic behaviours. Summary PSU and PSMU are overlapped mostly because the smartphone is a common medium to use social media, especially concerning instant messaging apps like WhatsApp. Moreover, PSU should be preferentially studied with a focus on specific types of apps used rather than a more holistic phenomenon.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Weijs ◽  
Jason Coe ◽  
Serge Desmarais ◽  
Shannon Majowicz ◽  
Andria Jones-Bitton

BACKGROUND There is considerable discussion of risks to health professionals’ reputations and employment from personal social media use, though its impacts on professional credibility and the health professional-client relationship are unknown. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to test the extent to which workday comments posted to health professionals’ personal Facebook profiles influence their credibility and affect the professional-client relationship. METHODS In a controlled field study, participants (members of the public) reviewed randomly assigned mock Facebook profiles of health professionals. The 2×2×2 factorial design of mock profiles included gender (female/male), health profession (physician/veterinarian), and workday comment type (evident frustration/ambiguous). Participants then rated the profile owner’s credibility on a visual analog scale. An analysis of variance test compared ratings. Mediation analyses tested the importance of credibility ratings on participants’ willingness to become a client of the mock health professional. RESULTS Participants (N=357) rated health professionals whose personal Facebook profile showed a comment with evident frustration rather than an ambiguous workday comment as less credible (P<.001; mean difference 11.18 [SE 1.28]; 95% CI 8.66 to 13.70). Furthermore, participants indicated they were less likely to become clients of the former when they considered credibility (standardized beta=.69; P<.001). Credibility explained 86% of the variation in the relationship between the type of workday comment and the participant’s willingness to become a client of the health professional. CONCLUSIONS This study provides the first evidence of the impact of health professionals’ personal online disclosures on credibility and the health relationship. Public perceptions about professionalism and credibility are integral to developing the evidence base for e-professionalism guidelines and encouraging best practices in social media use.


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