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Cited by 37Social Media in Health EducationPharmacy and Medical PracticesHealth Literacy and Information Accessibility

Do pharmacists use social media for patient care?

Benetoli, Arcelio, Chen, Timothy F., Schaefer, Marion, Chaar, Betty, Aslani, Parisa·2017·International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
DOI 10.1007/s11096-017-0444-4
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Abstract

Background Social media are frequently used by consumers and healthcare professionals. However, it is not clear how pharmacists use social media as part of their daily professional practice. Objective This study investigated the role social media play in pharmacy practice, particularly in patient care and how pharmacists interact online with patients and laypeople. Setting Face-to-face, telephone, or Skype interviews with practising pharmacists (n = 31) from nine countries. Method In-depth semi-structured interviews; audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed. Main outcome measure Two themes related to the use of social media for patient care: social media and pharmacy practice, and pharmacists' online interactions with customers and the public. Results Most participants were community pharmacists. They did not provide individualized services to consumers via social media, despite most of them working in a pharmacy with a Facebook page. No participant "friended" consumers on Facebook as it was perceived to blur the boundary between professional and personal relationships. However, they occasionally provided advice and general health information on social media to friends and followers, and more commonly corrected misleading health information spread on Facebook. Short YouTube videos were used to support patient counselling in community pharmacy. Conclusions Participants recognized the potential social media has for health. However, its use to support patient care and deliver pharmacy services was very incipient. Pharmacists as medicine experts are well equipped to contribute to improvements in social media medicines-related information, learn from consumers' online activities, and design new ways of delivering care to communities and individuals.

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Crossref · 10.1007/s11096-017-0444-4

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35 of 35 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • The questionnaire was developed after a thorough literature review, reviewed, and piloted.

    “We developed the questionnaire after a thorough literature review [10–12, 21, 22, 27–31]. We then carefully reviewed the questions and decided on answers that represent more ethical consensus [11, 22, 27, 28]. Lastly, we revised and piloted the final draft of the questionnaire.”

    From Future healthcare providers and professionalism on social media: a cross-sectional study (2022) · cites this paper as [30]

  • This answer contrasted the findings of two studies, one on medical students and physicians, and the other on pharmacists, which were both against interacting and giving medical advice to patients online.

    “This answer contrasted the findings of two studies, one on medical students and physicians, and the other on pharmacists, which were both against interacting and giving medical advice to patients online [30, 48].”

    From Future healthcare providers and professionalism on social media: a cross-sectional study (2022) · cites this paper as [30]

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Authors
Benetoli, A., Chen, T. F., Schaefer, M., Chaar, B., & Aslani, P.
Affiliations
  • The University of Sydney (AU)
  • Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
Corresponding author
Aslani, Parisa
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2017-03-15
Volume
39
Issue
2
Pages
364-372
ISSN
  • 2210-7703 (ISSN-L)
  • 2210-7711
DOI
10.1007/s11096-017-0444-4
OpenAlex
W2599829053
Semantic Scholar
9074272900d3b0304128cc1640bccc87a66b225d
Cited by
37
References
35
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2016: 1
FWCI
5.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (unspecified)
Locations
  • International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
FIP
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Social Media in Health Education
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmacology › Pharmacy and Medical Practices
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
Keywords
social media, pharmacists, community pharmacy, patient care, Facebook, professional-patient relationship, YouTube videos, patient counseling, health misinformation
MeSH terms
Attitude of Health Personnel, Community Pharmacy Services, Female, Patient Care, Humans, Male, Pharmacists, Professional-Patient Relations, Social Media

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