Development and validation of scale for measuring attitudes towards e-professionalism among medical and dental students: SMePROF-S scale
Open accessAbstract
Background: Social media permeated everyday life and consequently it brought some changes to behaviour of health professionals. New form of professionalism emerged called e-professionalism depicting professional behaviour while using social media. There are a number of studies conducted in the past several years measuring behaviour of different populations of health professionals on social media and social media sites. Many studies have investigated aspects of e-professionalism of medical or dental students as future health professionals, but there are no validated instruments made for assessing attitude towards e-professionalism of those two populations. Objective of this paper is to validate a newly developed scale for measuring attitudes towards e-professionalism among medical and dental students. Methods: The original 32-item scale was developed and administered to 411 medical students (RR 69%), and 287 dental students (RR 49.7%). Exploratory factor analysis was used to investigate the existence of underlying factors. Principal component analysis was used as an extraction method with oblimin as selected oblique rotation method. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess reliability. Results: Total of 698 student answers entered analysis. The final scale had 24 items that formed seven factors named: ethical aspects, dangers of social media, excluding physicians, freedom of choice, importance of professionalism, physicians in the digital age, negative consequences. Cronbach’s alpha indicating scale reliability was .72. Reliability conducted on each factor ranged from .570 to .877. Conclusions: The scale measures seven factors of attitude towards e-professionalism and exhibits satisfactory reliability. Based on insights from validation, some possible improvements are suggested.
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
This paper develops and validates the SMePROF-S scale for measuring medical and dental students’ attitudes toward e-professionalism. The final 24-item scale has seven factors and acceptable overall reliability (Cronbach’s α = .72).
Key findings
- The final scale contained 24 items forming seven factors: ethical aspects, dangers of social media, excluding physicians, freedom of choice, importance of professionalism, physicians in the digital age, and negative consequences; these explained 65.53% of cumulative variance.
- Overall scale reliability was α = .72, while factor-level reliability ranged from .570 to .877.
- The initial 32-item scale had nine factors explaining 62.8% of variance and α = .765; eight items were removed during validation.
- Second-order factor analysis grouped the seven factors into four second-order factors, with “Excluding physicians” not grouping with the others.
Methods
- Cross-sectional validation study within the SMePROF project, conducted at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine in academic year 2018/2019.
- The instrument was administered to 714 students; 698 responses entered analysis: 411 medical students (RR 69%) and 287 dental students (RR 49.7%); mean age 22, range 18–30, 74% female.
- Construct validity used exploratory factor analysis with principal component analysis and oblimin rotation; reliability used Cronbach’s alpha.
Limitations
- The paper states that all items were taken from previous research, so some theoretical concepts may be omitted; “Excluding physicians” may not be a domain of e-professionalism; items used mixed four- and five-point scales; the questionnaire was in Croatian; and mandatory questions may have increased withdrawal.
- The paper also notes that “Excluding physicians” requires further testing and that its items may have been better tailored to physicians than students.
- Evident from the text: the sample was a convenience sample of two Zagreb schools, dental response rate was lower than medical, and the scale measures attitudes rather than observed e-professional behaviour.
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
0 of 21 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged
- Findingown data
Reliability of the initial 32-item scale was α = .765.
“Reliability of the initial 32-item scale was α = .765.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
In the sample, using sanctions for misbehaviour, such as banning or restricting medical professionals from social networks, were items with the largest degree of disagreement.
“and using sanctions for misbehaviour (like banning or restricting medical professionals from social networks) were items with the largest degree of disagreement.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
Students in the sample clearly expressed rebuff about using sanctions for online behaviour.
“and clearly expressed rebuff about using sanctions for online behaviour.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
Seven factors from the SMePROF-S scale are grouped into four second-order factors.
“Seven factors are grouped in four second-order factors, as it is shown in Table 4.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
In our research, respondents were much more ambiguous about ethically acceptable interaction with patients on social media, as seen from average scoring of items 1 through 5 being closer to neutral values than agreement.
“However, in our research respondents were much more ambiguous, which can be seen from average scoring of items 1 through 5 (Table 1) that are much closer to neutral values than agreement.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
- Findingown data
Item 26 was removed because it lacked adequate saturation on factors.
“In following iteration, item (26 – A little leniency should be shown if unprofessional behaviour occurs in the first years of professional education) was removed because it didn’t have adequate saturation on neither of factors, probably because overall very positive score on this sample (about 85% of students agreed).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
Additional six items were deleted because they failed to load on any of the factors.
“Additional six items were deleted because they failed to load on any of the factors.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
The second factor, Dangers of SM, comprises five items measuring perceived negative impact of social networks on future or current employment and the possibility that people can make wrong assumptions based on the content of one's posts.
“The second factor is called Dangers of SM and it is composed by five items measuring perceived negative impact of social networks on future (or current) employment, as well as possibility that people can make wrong assumptions based on the content of one’s posts.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
Reliability conducted on each factor ranged from .570 to .877.
“Reliability conducted on each factor ranged from .570 to .877.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: The convenience sample of medical and dental students at UZSM and UZSDM is adequate for validating the SMePROF-S scale.
- Findingown data
Cronbach's alpha indicating scale reliability was .72.
“Cronbach’s alpha indicating scale reliability was .72.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: The convenience sample of medical and dental students at UZSM and UZSDM is adequate for validating the SMePROF-S scale.
- Findingown data
Cattel's scree test confirmed the same number of factors as the Kaiser criterion (eigenvalue greater than one).
“Cattel’s scree test confirmed the same number of factors as the Kaiser criterion (eigenvalue greater than one).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
The seven factors of the SMePROF-S scale collectively explained 65.53% of cumulative variance.
“yielded seven factors that collectively explained 65.53% of cumulative variance.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
The final SMePROF-S scale is composed of 24 items.
“Final scale that was developed through validation is composed of 24 variables”
- Also stated in: § Conclusion · plain
“final version is composed of 24 items that measure seven dimensions of e-professionalism.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Also stated in: § Conclusion · plain
- Findingown data
Final factor analysis produced seven factors explaining 65.53% of cumulative variance.
“Final scale consists of 24 items and factor analysis produced seven factors explaining 65.53% of cumulative variance that can be logically described (Table 3).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: The convenience sample of medical and dental students at UZSM and UZSDM is adequate for validating the SMePROF-S scale.
- Findingown data
The first factor, Ethical aspects, comprises five items measuring attitudes toward ethical aspects of communicating with patients via social networks.
“The first factor is called Ethical aspects and five items in this dimension measure attitudes towards ethical aspects of communicating with patients via social networks.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
The final SMePROF-S scale yielded seven factors.
“yielded seven factors that collectively explained 65.53% of cumulative variance.”
- Also stated in: § Conclusion · plain
“final version is composed of 24 items that measure seven dimensions of e-professionalism.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Also stated in: § Conclusion · plain
- Findingown data
In the sample, attitude toward teachers being responsible for counselling students on appropriate use of social media did not have uniform consent.
“However, attitude toward teachers being one responsible for counselling students on the appropriate use of social media did not have such uniform consent”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
The final SMePROF-S scale had a Cronbach's alpha of .72.
“Reliability analysis was conducted on final scale and Cronbach coefficient was α = .72”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · boosted
“Scale demonstrated acceptable reliability score (α = .72).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Also stated in: § Discussion · boosted
- Findingown data
In the sample, there was a high degree of agreement with item 17, that students know what constitutes professional behaviour and what is expected of them as a current/future professional.
“also supported with a high degree of agreement with item 17 that states that they know what constitutes professional behaviour and what is expected of me as a current/future professional.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
Students in the sample on average stated that they understand what constitutes professional behaviour.
“Students in sample on average stated that they understand what constitutes professional behaviour”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data
In the sample, the highest degree of agreement was on item 10, that sharing privileged patient information on social media without consent is inadmissible.
“The highest degree of agreement was on the item 10 – Sharing privileged patient information on social media without their consent is deemed to be inadmissible.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
Initial factor analysis extracted nine factors.
“Initial factor analysis extracted nine factors that cumulatively explained 62.8% of total variance.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
The Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the individual factors of the SMePROF-S scale ranged from .570 to .877.
“reliability of each factor was conducted separately and α coefficients ranged from .570 to .877 as it is shown in Table 3.”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“Reliability of each factor was conducted separately and α coefficients ranged from .570 to .877.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
- Findingown data
The final scale formed seven factors named ethical aspects, dangers of social media, excluding physicians, freedom of choice, importance of professionalism, physicians in the digital age, negative consequences.
“The final scale had 24 items that formed seven factors named: ethical aspects, dangers of social media, excluding physicians, freedom of choice, importance of professionalism, physicians in the digital age, negative consequences.”
- Also stated in: § Development, reliability and validity of SMePROF-student version (SMePROF-S) scale · plain
“Final scale consists of 24 items and factor analysis produced seven factors explaining 65.53% of cumulative variance that can be logically described (Table 3).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: The convenience sample of medical and dental students at UZSM and UZSDM is adequate for validating the SMePROF-S scale.
- Also stated in: § Development, reliability and validity of SMePROF-student version (SMePROF-S) scale · plain
- Findingown data
The factor Excluding physicians does not group with other factors in the second-order factor analysis.
“It’s important to notice that factor Excluding physicians does not group with other factors.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
The final scale had 24 items.
“The final scale had 24 items that formed seven factors named: ethical aspects, dangers of social media, excluding physicians, freedom of choice, importance of professionalism, physicians in the digital age, negative consequences.”
- Also stated in: § Development, reliability and validity of SMePROF-student version (SMePROF-S) scale · plain
“Final scale consists of 24 items and factor analysis produced seven factors explaining 65.53% of cumulative variance that can be logically described (Table 3).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: The convenience sample of medical and dental students at UZSM and UZSDM is adequate for validating the SMePROF-S scale.
- Also stated in: § Development, reliability and validity of SMePROF-student version (SMePROF-S) scale · plain
- Findingown data
The initial nine factors cumulatively explained 62.8% of total variance.
“Initial factor analysis extracted nine factors that cumulatively explained 62.8% of total variance.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data
There was not unanimous response on whether it is acceptable to visit patients' profiles.
“there was not unanimous response on whether it’s acceptable to visit patients’ profiles or not.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data
Excluding physicians being a dimension itself in both factor analysis and second-order factor analysis suggests that it may not be a domain of e-professionalism but rather a different topic requiring its own measuring instrument.
“Second, Excluding physicians being a dimension itself both in factor analysis and second order factor analysis suggests that there is a possibility that as a dimension measured with these particular items is not a domain of e-professionalism, but rather a different topic that requires its own measuring instrument.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning
Students in the sample had rather individual concepts of professionalism and what is permissible or not.
“This suggests that students in the sample had rather individual concepts of professionalism and what is permissible or not.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationcitation
Several factors found in the SMePROF-S scale match some of the tenets of traditional professionalism defined by the ABIM foundation.
“Several factors found in this scale match some of the tenants of (traditional) professionalism defined by ABIM foundation [5].”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [5] ABIM Foundation. American Board of Internal Medicine, ACP-ASIM Foundation. American College of Physicians-American Society of internal medicine, European Federation of Internal Medicine. Medical professionalism in the new millennium: a physician charter. Ann Intern Med. 2002;136:243–6. source
Not checked in the free run.
- Interpretationown data
Lower Cronbach alpha coefficients than 0.7 are likely results of a small number of items forming the factor.
“Coefficients that have lower values than 0.7 are likely results of a small number of items that form them”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation
Dentistry shares ethical foundations of medicine, such as best interest, confidentiality and respect for autonomy.
“Whilst distinct, dentistry shares many of the ethical foundations of medicine, such as the Hippocratic promise of best interest, confidentiality and respect for autonomy.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [24] Obree D, Trathen A. The special ethics of dentistry. In: Papanikitas A, Spicer J, editors. Handbook of primary care ethics. Boca Raton: FL CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group; 2017. p. 385–92. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315155487-46. source
Not checked in the free run.
- Study design and conductnone given
All items in the SMePROF-S scale were taken from previous research.
“First, all items in this scale were taken from previous researches”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Premisecitation
Chisholm-Burns et al. designed and validated a scale for measuring attitudes towards social media professionalism on pharmacy students.
“One study by Chisholm-Burns et al. designed and validated scale for measuring attitudes towards social media professionalism on pharmacy students [17].”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [17] Chisholm-Burns MA, Spivey CA, Jaeger MC, Williams J, George C. Development of an instrument to measure pharmacy student attitudes toward social media professionalism. Am J Pharm Educ. 2017;81(4):65. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe81465. source
Not checked in the free run.
- Premisecitation
Medical and dental professions share key similarities that justify comparing them in professionalism.
“Medical and dental profession have some key similarities that justify comparing them in the field of professionalism.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [24] Obree D, Trathen A. The special ethics of dentistry. In: Papanikitas A, Spicer J, editors. Handbook of primary care ethics. Boca Raton: FL CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group; 2017. p. 385–92. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315155487-46. source
Not checked in the free run.
- Interpretationown data
Students in the sample are very aware of the impact of social media on future employability.
“It is visible that students in the sample are very aware of the impact of social media on future employability.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Premisereasoning
There are no validated instruments for assessing attitude towards e-professionalism of medical and dental students.
“Many studies have investigated aspects of e-professionalism of medical or dental students as future health professionals, but there are no validated instruments made for assessing attitude towards e-professionalism of those two populations.”
- Also stated in: § Background · plain
“Even though many studies have investigated aspects of e-professionalism of medical or dental students [18–22], and some investigated attitude towards social media professionalism on similar but different populations [17, 23], so far none of the validated instruments has been made for assessing attitude towards e-professionalism of medical and dental students.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 7 sources checked- cites [18] Nason KN, Byrne H, Nason GJ, O’Connell B. An assessment of professionalism on students’ Facebook profiles. Eur J Dent Educ. 2018;22(1):30–3. https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.12240. source
Not checked in the free run.
- cites [19] Dobson E, Patel P, Neville P. Perceptions of e-professionalism among dental students: a UK dental school study. Br Dent J. 2019;226(1):73–8. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2019.11. source
Not checked in the free run.
- cites [20] Knott PN, Wassif HS. Older and wiser? First year BDS graduate entry students and their views on using social media and professional practice. Br Dent J. 2018;225(5):437–40. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2018.745. source
Not checked in the free run.
- cites [21] Ahmed H, Soorma T, Nawab F, Ahmed S, Khan O. Survey of medical students’ use of social media. Clin Teach. 2016;13(5):392. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.12544. source
Not checked in the free run.
- cites [22] Barlow CJ, Morrison S, Stephens HO, Jenkins E, Bailey MJ, Pilcher D. Unprofessional behaviour on social media by medical students. Med J Aust. 2015;203(11):439. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja15.00272. source
Not checked in the free run.
- cites [17] Chisholm-Burns MA, Spivey CA, Jaeger MC, Williams J, George C. Development of an instrument to measure pharmacy student attitudes toward social media professionalism. Am J Pharm Educ. 2017;81(4):65. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe81465. source
Not checked in the free run.
- cites [23] Chisholm MA, Cobb H, Duke L, McDuffie C, Kennedy WK. Development of an instrument to measure professionalism. Am J Pharm Educ. 2006;70(4):85. https://doi.org/10.5688/aj700485. source
Not checked in the free run.
- Also stated in: § Background · plain
- Interpretationreasoning
For students in this sample, push reasons outweighed pull reasons regarding social media use.
“Based on results of this study, in terms of “push” or “pull” reasons, we could say that for students in our sample “push” reasons outweighed “pull”.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data
In this sample, negative aspects of social media are more emphasized than benefits.
“Considering average question scoring, results suggest negative aspects of social media (or dangers of social media) are more emphasized than benefits in this sample.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Interpretationown data
The scale exhibits satisfactory reliability.
“The scale measures seven factors of attitude towards e-professionalism and exhibits satisfactory reliability.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: The convenience sample of medical and dental students at UZSM and UZSDM is adequate for validating the SMePROF-S scale.
- Premisecitation
A UK study on dental undergraduate students found different expectations are placed on dental students regarding social media use compared to medical students because dentistry is a business.
“The disproportion of medical and dental students’ orientation towards private sector is documenter in UK study on dental undergraduate students who expressed that different expectations are places on dental students regarding SM use compared to medical students given that dentistry is a business [25].”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [25] Gormley M, Collins L, Schofield S, Neville P. Exploring the impact of digital professionalism awareness training on dental undergraduate students. Eur J Dent Educ. 2021;25:271–81. https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.12601. source
Not checked in the free run.
- Study design and conductown data
Content validity was reviewed and affirmed by a research team of experts from various scientific fields.
“Before administering, content validity was reviewed and affirmed by the research team of experts from various scientific fields: sociologist, doctor of medicine, doctors of dental medicine, psychiatrist and communicologist.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Study design and conductown data
Results of factor analysis were not impaired by the difference in rating scale.
“Results of factor analysis were not impaired, but caution is recommended in interpreting average item scoring.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Interpretationreasoning
The SMePROF-S scale can be used to assess and compare medical students and dental medicine students regarding their attitude towards e-professionalism.
“This scale can be used to assess and compare medical students and dental medicine students regarding their attitude towards e-professionalism.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning
Removing the Excluding physicians factor completely would damage the content validity of the scale.
“Therefore, removing it completely would damage the content validity of the scale so it was not removed.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationreasoning
Measuring just e-professional behaviour in students can result in incomplete and problematic results because students lack regular and uniform contact with patients.
“However, measuring just e-professional behaviour in students can result in incomplete and problematic results since students don’t have regular and uniform contact with patients.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Rests on an assumption: Medical and dental students do not have regular and uniform contact with patients and lack practical experience and quantity of doctor-patient relations.
- May combine two claims. 19
- Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 23
May combine two claims.
Findingown dataThe seventh factor, Negative consequences, is formed by three items and encompasses overall negative attitudes toward changes that social networks brought, namely in protection of physicians from public and inabilities to fully relax and maintain professional image.
“The seventh factor called Negative consequences is formed by three items and encompasses overall negative attitudes toward changes that social networks brought; namely in protection of physicians from public and inabilities to fully relax and maintain professional image.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
Findingown dataThe sixth factor, Physicians in the digital age, measures attitude towards positive inclusion of social networks in the medical profession, making physicians and medical teachers responsible for education and guidance of patients and students in correct network usage.
“The sixth factor, Physicians in the digital age, measures attitude towards positive inclusion of social networks in the medical profession, making physicians and medical teachers responsible for education and guidance of patients and students in tenants of “correct” type of network usage.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Findingnone givenThe third factor, Excluding physicians, measures attitude towards prohibiting or restricting usage of social networks to medical workers.
“The third factor named Excluding physicians measures attitude towards prohibiting or restricting usage of social networks to medical workers.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
FindingreasoningItem 10, sharing privileged patient information on social media without consent is inadmissible, saturated on factor Dangers of SM rather than Ethical aspects.
“It’s interesting that item 10 – Sharing privileged patient information on social media without their consent is deemed to be inadmissible saturated on factor Dangers of SM rather than Ethical aspects.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
FindingreasoningThe fourth factor, Freedom of choice, is formed by three variables measuring independence of acting and posting on social media from college rules and social rules, suggesting that online activities do not affect professional performance.
“The fourth factor named Freedom of choice is formed by three variables measuring independence of acting (and posting on social media) from college rules and social rules, suggesting that online activities do not affect their professional performance.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
FindingreasoningThe factor Physicians in the digital age is formed by only two variables and has the lowest consistency with α = .570.
“(factor Physicians in digital age is formed by only two variables and has lowest consistency with α = .570)”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown dataItem 25 was removed because it did not measure attitude and saturated equally on multiple factors.
“One item (25 – People have the opportunity to post photos and document aspects of their professional life which would otherwise remain private) was removed because it did not measure attitude and it saturated equally on multiple factors.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown dataKaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure was .771 and Bartlett's test of sampling adequacy was χ2 = 6873.78, df = 496, p = 0.000, showing dimension reduction is applicable.
“Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure (.771) and Bartlett’s test of sampling adequacy (χ2 = 6873.78, df = 496, p = 0.000) shows that dimension reduction is applicable on this data.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown dataThe fifth factor, Importance of professionalism, connects e-professionalism to offline professionalism and is formed by items describing need for professional behaviour and self-assessment about what constitutes professional behaviour.
“The fifth factor named Importance of professionalism is connecting e-professionalism to “offline” professionalism (or professional behaviour as already known concept). Factor is formed by items describing need for professional behaviour as well as self-assessment about what constitutes professional behaviour.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimClassified as probably not a substantial claim.
PremisecitationValues of Cronbach alpha between 0.7 and 0.9 are interpreted as acceptable reliability.
“values between 0.7 and 0.9 are interpreted as acceptable reliability [30].”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [30] Peacock J, Peacock P. Oxford Handbook of Medical Statistics. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2011.
Not checked in the free run.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
PremisecitationThe Chisholm-Burns et al. instrument had 22 items forming five factors named honesty and integrity, respect for others, accountability, duty, and excellence.
“After validation, instrument had 22 items that formed five factors named: honesty and integrity, respect for others, accountability, duty, and excellence.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [17] Chisholm-Burns MA, Spivey CA, Jaeger MC, Williams J, George C. Development of an instrument to measure pharmacy student attitudes toward social media professionalism. Am J Pharm Educ. 2017;81(4):65. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe81465. source
Not checked in the free run.
May combine two claims.
Study design and conductown dataThe original 32-item scale was administered to 411 medical students (response rate 69%) and 287 dental students (response rate 49.7%).
“The original 32-item scale was developed and administered to 411 medical students (RR 69%), and 287 dental students (RR 49.7%).”
- Also stated in: § Study sample · plain
“Of the 714 collected students’ responses a total of 698 entered analysis, 411 from second and fifth-year medical students (RR 69%), and 287 from first to sixth year dental students (RR 49.7%); mean age of 22, range 18 to 30 years, 74% of the students were female and 26% were male.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim- Also stated in: § Study sample · plain
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
InterpretationcitationThe topic of the role of university in dealing with e-professionalism measured in the Chisholm-Burns et al. scale is consistent with the factor Freedom of choice in this instrument.
“For example, topic that tackles role of university in dealing with e-professionalism measured in Chisholm-Burns et al. scale is consistent with factor Freedom of choice in this instrument.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [17] Chisholm-Burns MA, Spivey CA, Jaeger MC, Williams J, George C. Development of an instrument to measure pharmacy student attitudes toward social media professionalism. Am J Pharm Educ. 2017;81(4):65. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe81465. source
Not checked in the free run.
May combine two claims.
PremisecitationDentistry is more market-oriented and has created a market based on wants rather than needs.
“Dentistry is more market oriented, and coupled with different cosmetic treatment options such as bleaching, aesthetic crowns and orthodontics it has created a market based on want rather than needs [24].”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [24] Obree D, Trathen A. The special ethics of dentistry. In: Papanikitas A, Spicer J, editors. Handbook of primary care ethics. Boca Raton: FL CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group; 2017. p. 385–92. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315155487-46. source
Not checked in the free run.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).
Interpretationnone givenThe role of social media in future employability is a recurring topic that is unavoidable when assessing attitudes of students.
“Also, the role of social media in future employability is occurring topic that is unavoidable when assessing attitudes of students.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
InterpretationcitationThe finding that negative aspects of social media are more emphasized than benefits is consistent with White et al. research.
“This finding is consistent with White et al. research [28].”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [28] White J, Kirwan P, Lai K, Walton J, Ross S. ‘Have you seen what is on Facebook?’ The use of social networking software by healthcare professions students. BMJ Open. 2013;3:e003013. source
Not checked in the free run.
Classified as probably not a substantial claim.
InterpretationcitationProtecting a patient's privacy and maintaining proper relationships with patients, as defined as tenets of professionalism, can be seen in the e-professionalism scale as factors Dangers of SM and Ethical aspects.
“Protecting a patient’s privacy and maintaining proper relationships with patients defined as tenants of professionalism can be seen in e-professionalism scale as factors Dangers of SM and Ethical aspects.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [5] ABIM Foundation. American Board of Internal Medicine, ACP-ASIM Foundation. American College of Physicians-American Society of internal medicine, European Federation of Internal Medicine. Medical professionalism in the new millennium: a physician charter. Ann Intern Med. 2002;136:243–6. source
Not checked in the free run.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).
InterpretationreasoningImproving the quality of healthcare can be seen in the factor Physicians in the digital age.
“Furthermore, improving the quality of healthcare can be seen in factor Physicians in the digital age.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
Study design and conductown dataParticipation was voluntary and anonymous, and informed consent was obtained.
“All participants were informed in guidelines statement that their participation is voluntary and anonymous. The first question of the questionnaire was informed consent about participation, allowing students that do not want to participate to opt out.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimClassified as probably not a substantial claim.
Study design and conductreasoningThe researchers agreed that all items included in the scale reflected attitude towards e-professionalism.
“The researchers agreed that all items included in this scale reflected attitude towards e-professionalism.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
Study design and conductown dataThe study was approved by the Ethical board of University of Zagreb School of Medicine and the Ethical board of University of Zagreb School of Dental Medicine.
“Both research and questionnaires were approved by the Ethical board of University of Zagreb School of Medicine, issued on March 22nd 2018 (641–01/18–02/01) and Ethical board of University of Zagreb School of Dental Medicine, issued on February 20th 2018 (05-PA-24-2/2018).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Study design and conductcitationSix researchers repeatedly checked whether items represented e-professionalism, whether item content was suitable for judging attitude towards e-professionalism of dental and medical students, and whether the concept was covered in the entire scale.
“Following the example of Ichikawa et al., six researchers repeatedly checked whether items represented e-professionalism, whether item content was suitable for judging attitude towards e-professionalism of dental and medical students, and whether concept of e-professionalism was covered in the entire scale [29].”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [29] Ichikawa N, Yamamoto-Mitani N, Takai Y, Tanaka M, Takemura Y. Understanding and measuring nurses’ professionalism: development and validation of the nurses’ professionalism inventory. J Nurs Manag. 2020;28(7):1607–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13116. source
Not checked in the free run.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Study design and conductown dataA total of 698 student answers entered analysis.
“Total of 698 student answers entered analysis.”
- Also stated in: § Subjects and methods · plain
“After screening results, 698 answers entered the analysis.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim- Also stated in: § Subjects and methods · plain
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.
InterpretationreasoningDental students tend to be more open towards patients on social media, making them prone to greater risk of e-professionalism violation.
“Because of those reasons we believe dental students tend to be more open towards patients on SM, which makes them prone to bigger risk of e-professionalism violation.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
InterpretationcitationSome tenets of e-professionalism of medical and dental students are consistent with tenets found in the scale for measuring pharmacy student's attitudes towards social media professionalism.
“Some tenants of e-professionalism of medical and dental students are consistent with tenants found in scale for measuring pharmacy student’s attitudes towards social media professionalism [17].”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [17] Chisholm-Burns MA, Spivey CA, Jaeger MC, Williams J, George C. Development of an instrument to measure pharmacy student attitudes toward social media professionalism. Am J Pharm Educ. 2017;81(4):65. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe81465. source
Not checked in the free run.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
PremisecitationThe Chisholm-Burns et al. instrument had a Cronbach's alpha of .72.
“Cronbach’s alpha measuring reliability of instrument was .72.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [17] Chisholm-Burns MA, Spivey CA, Jaeger MC, Williams J, George C. Development of an instrument to measure pharmacy student attitudes toward social media professionalism. Am J Pharm Educ. 2017;81(4):65. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe81465. source
Not checked in the free run.
May combine two claims.
Interpretationown dataThe SMePROF-S scale proved to be valid and reliable for measuring attitude towards e-professionalism among medical and dental students.
“SMePROF-student version (SMePROF-S) scale for measuring attitude towards e-professionalism among medical and dental students proved to be valid and reliable.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Study design and conductreasoningUnfinished questionnaires could not be collected in the online survey platform used (Google Forms).
“Unfinished questionnaires could not be collected in online survey platform used (Google Forms).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.
InterpretationreasoningExcluding physicians is an important theoretical part of e-professionalism because it covers students' autonomy and freedom to use social media regardless of profession.
“Regardless, it’s an important theoretical part of e-professionalism because it covers students’ autonomy and freedom to use SM regardless the profession.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
Study design and conductreasoningThe SMePROF-S scale was part of a larger questionnaire and items were measured within different parts, resulting in difference in range of rating scale (four-point and five-point).
“Third, this scale was part of a larger questionnaire and items were measured within different parts, resulting in difference in range of rating scale (four-point and five-point).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
InterpretationreasoningAlthough the questionnaire was translated by English language experts, some of the meaning can be lost or changed.
“although questionnaire was translated by English language experts some of the meaning can be lost or changed.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
InterpretationreasoningMandatory questions could result in a larger degree of respondents withdrawing from research without completing the questionnaire.
“That could result in larger degree of respondents withdrawing from research without completing questionnaire.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Study design and conductnone givenThe questionnaire was conducted on Croatian language.
“Fourth, the questionnaire was conducted on Croatian language”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Study design and conductreasoningAll questions were mandatory in order to avoid missing values.
“Fifth, all questions were mandatory in order to avoid missing values.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
The paper relies on this without support.
The convenience sample of medical and dental students at UZSM and UZSDM is adequate for validating the SMePROF-S scale.
“As a part of the project a quantitative cross-sectional study on the use of SM, attitudes and ethical values of students was carried out in the School of Medicine University of Zagreb, Croatia (UZSM) and the School of Dental Medicine University of Zagreb, Croatia (UZSDM) in the academic year 2018/2019.”
“In order to provide a better picture about this convenience sample three variables were measured: active or passive type of usage, frequency of access and type of device most used.”
The paper relies on this without support.
No previous scale measures attitudes towards e-professionalism among medical and dental students.
“As far as authors know this is the first scale designed to investigate attitudes towards e-professionalism on student population of medicine and dental medicine.”
“This is the first validated scale designed to measure attitude towards e-professionalism on this specific population”
The paper relies on this without support.
Medical and dental students do not have regular and uniform contact with patients and lack practical experience and quantity of doctor-patient relations.
“students don’t have regular and uniform contact with patients. They have some contact during practical classes, but they lack practical experiences and quantity of doctor-patient relations.”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
For use with MDs and DMDs instead of students, the instrument underwent validation and minimal modifications by excluding two items specific to a student population, resulting in a 17-item instrument.
“In order for this instrument that measures perception of e-professional content to be used with MDs and DMDs instead of students, it underwent validation and minimal modifications by the exclusion of two items that were specific to a student population but were not applicable to the population of MDs and DMDs [44]. After modification the instrument used in this research has 17 items.”
From Differences between doctors of medicine and dental medicine in the perception of professionalism on social networking sites: the development of the e-professionalism assessment compatibility index (ePACI) (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
The Results (Development, reliability and validity of SMePROF-S; page unavailable) and Conclusion identify a validated instrument for medical and dental students. They report a final 24-item scale, not validation for MDs and DMDs or a 17-item version produced by removing two student-specific items. The cited paper supports the instrument’s origin, but not the attributed modification. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe authors did not encounter a way to easily measure and scale perceptions of e-professionalism among graduate MDs and DMDs in the literature.
“While reviewing literature, although there are available scales and indexes in some form or another for the student population [44, 58], we did not encounter a way to easily measure and scale perceptions of e-professionalism among graduate MDs and DMDs.”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Item counts attributed to White et al. do not add up
MinorThe paper says 21 items were taken from White et al., but reports 18 retained and five excluded, which totals 23. The listed retained ranges (6-18 and 22-24) contain 16 items, not 18; 16 retained plus five excluded would total 21.
Reported 21 · recomputed 23
“Total of 21 items were taken from their research, out of which 18 entered the final scale (6 thru 18 and 22 thru 24), and 5 items that didn’t (25, 26, 29, 30, 31 as shown in Table 2).”
Cites
Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium: A Physician Charter
Project of the ABIM Foundation, A. F. (2002) · Annals of Internal Medicine · doi:10.7326/0003-4819-136-3-200202050-00012 · Cited by 1,624 · see citing works
Medical professionalism in the new millennium: a physician charter
(2002) · Obstetrics & Gynecology · doi:10.1016/s0029-7844(02)02082-3 · Cited by 1,021 · see citing works
The Patient–Doctor Relationship and Online Social Networks: Results of a National Survey
Bosslet, G. T., Torke, A. M., Hickman, S. E., Terry, C. L., & Helft, P. R. (2011) · Journal of General Internal Medicine · doi:10.1007/s11606-011-1761-2 · Cited by 306 · see citing works
Oxford Handbook of Medical Statistics
Peacock, J. L., & Peacock, P. J. (2010) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med/9780199551286.001.0001 · Cited by 213 · see citing works
Shore, R., Halsey, J., Shah, K., Crigger, B.-J., & Douglas, S. P. (2011) · The Journal of Clinical Ethics · doi:10.1086/jce201122208 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
Development of an Instrument to Measure Professionalism
Chisholm, M. A., Cobb, H., Duke, L., McDuffie, C., & Kennedy, W. K. (2006) · American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education · doi:10.5688/aj700485 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
Oxford Handbook of Medical Statistics
Peacock, J. L., & Peacock, P. J. (2020) · doi:10.1093/med/9780198743583.001.0001 · Cited by 114 · see citing works
Hazzam, J., & Lahrech, A. (2018) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/12035 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
e-Professionalism: A New Frontier in Medical Education
Kaczmarczyk, J. M., Chuang, A., Dugoff, L., Abbott, J. F., Cullimore, A. J., Dalrymple, J., Davis, K. R., Hueppchen, N. A., Katz, N. T., Nuthalapaty, F. S., et al. (2013) · Teaching and Learning in Medicine · doi:10.1080/10401334.2013.770741 · Cited by 94 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Furthermore, it can be defined as a commitment to carry out professional tasks while adhering to ethical principles and care for the patient’s well-being during online social activities [4].”
BackgroundWhite, J., Kirwan, P., Lai, K., Walton, J., & Ross, S. (2013) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003013 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Who’s misbehaving? Perceptions of unprofessional social media use by medical students and faculty
Kitsis, E. A., Milan, F. B., Cohen, H. W., Myers, D., Herron, P., McEvoy, M., Weingarten, J., & Grayson, M. S. (2016) · BMC Medical Education · doi:10.1186/s12909-016-0572-x · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Langenfeld, S. J., Vargo, D. J., & Schenarts, P. J. (2016) · Journal of Surgical Education · doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2016.07.010 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Unprofessional behaviour on social media by medical students
Barlow, C. J., Morrison, S., Stephens, H. O., Jenkins, E., Bailey, M. J., & Pilcher, D. (2015) · Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/mja15.00272 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Early adopters or laggards? Attitudes toward and use of social media among urologists
Fuoco, M., & Leveridge, M. J. (2015) · BJU International · doi:10.1111/bju.12855 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Online professionalism: A synthetic review
Chretien, K. C., & Tuck, M. G. (2015) · International Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.3109/09540261.2015.1004305 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Perceptions of e-professionalism among dental students: a UK dental school study
Dobson, E., Patel, P., & Neville, P. (2019) · British Dental Journal · doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2019.11 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Opportunities and challenges of social media for health knowledge management: A narrative review
Ghalavand, H., Panahi, S., & Sedghi, S. (2020) · Journal of Education and Health Promotion · doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_754_19 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Professional conduct among Registered Nurses in the use of online social networking sites
Levati, S. (2014) · Journal of Advanced Nursing · doi:10.1111/jan.12377 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Nagler, A., Andolsek, K., Rudd, M., Sloane, R., Musick, D., & Basnight, L. (2014) · BMC Medical Education · doi:10.1186/1472-6920-14-60 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
An assessment of professionalism on students’ Facebook profiles
Nason, K. N., Byrne, H., Nason, G. J., & O'Connell, B. (2018) · European Journal of Dental Education · doi:10.1111/eje.12240 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Chisholm-Burns, M. A., Spivey, C. A., Jaeger, M. C., Williams, J., & George, C. (2017) · American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education · doi:10.5688/ajpe81465 · Cited by 24 · cited 2× · see citing works
“professionalism on pharmacy students [17].”
BackgroundCurrent Uses (and Potential Misuses) of Facebook: An Online Survey in Physiotherapy
Laliberté, M., Beaulieu-Poulin, C., Campeau Larrivée, A., Charbonneau, M., Samson, É., & Ehrmann Feldman, D. (2016) · Physiotherapy Canada · doi:10.3138/ptc.2014-41 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Ichikawa, N., Yamamoto‐Mitani, N., Takai, Y., Tanaka, M., & Takemura, Y. (2020) · Journal of Nursing Management · doi:10.1111/jonm.13116 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Exploring the impact of digital professionalism awareness training on dental undergraduate students
Gormley, M., Collins, L., Schofield, S., & Neville, P. (2021) · European Journal of Dental Education · doi:10.1111/eje.12601 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Medical student views on the use of Facebook profile screening by residency admissions committees
George, D. R., Green, M. J., Navarro, A. M., Stazyk, K. K., & Clark, M. A. (2014) · Postgraduate Medical Journal · doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2013-132336 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
George, D. R., Navarro, A. M., Stazyk, K. K., Clark, M. A., & Green, M. J. (2014) · AJOB Empirical Bioethics · doi:10.1080/23294515.2013.864344 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Kesselheim, J. C., Schwartz, A., Belmonte, F., Boland, K. A., Poynter, S., & Batra, M. (2016) · Academic Pediatrics · doi:10.1016/j.acap.2015.12.004 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Knott, P. N., & Wassif, H. S. (2018) · British Dental Journal · doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2018.745 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
The special ethics of dentistry
Obree, D., & Trathen, A. (2017) · Handbook of Primary Care Ethics · doi:10.1201/9781315155487-46 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Survey of medical students' use of social media
Ahmed, H., Soorma, T., Nawab, F., Ahmed, S., & Khan, O. (2016) · The Clinical Teacher · doi:10.1111/tct.12544 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Australian and New Zealand Medical Associations. Social Media and Medical Professionalism: a guide to online professionalism for medical practitioners and medical students. 2010. https://ama.com.au/article/social-media-and-medical-profession. Accessed 22 Sep 2020.
- The British Medical Association. Social media : practical guidance and best practice. 2018. https://www.bma.org.uk/search?query=Social%20media%20Practical%20guidance. Accessed 22 Sept 2020.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Viskić, J., Marelić, M., Machala Poplašen, L., & Vukušić Rukavina, T. (2022) · BMC Medical Ethics · doi:10.1186/s12910-022-00870-0 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“The questionnaire used in this study was derived from previous studies within the project “Dangers and benefits of social networks: E-professionalism of healthcare professionals—SMePROF [13, 41, 44] where the study population was students of medicine and dental medicine.”
BackgroundMethodSelf-citation
- Authors
- Marelić, M., Viskić, J., Poplašen, L. M., Relić, D., Jokić, D., & Rukavina, T. V.
- Affiliations
- University of Zagreb (HR)
- Corresponding author
- Marelić, Marko
- ORCID
- Venue
- BMC Medical Education
- Published
- 2021-08-23
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 445-445
- ISSN
- 1472-6920 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8381479
- OpenAlex
- W3195611360
- Semantic Scholar
- 508d697d012ed0177e5b3a5c5796ebfdb816e96e
- Cited by
- 31
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 5
- FWCI
- 3.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMC Medical Education (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Hrvatska Zaklada za Znanost
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Social Media in Health Education
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Innovations in Medical Education
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Leadership and Management › Healthcare Education and Workforce Issues
- Keywords
- e-professionalism, social media, medical students, dental students, attitudes, scale development, psychometric validation, professionalism, ethical considerations
- MeSH terms
- Professionalism, Attitude, Humans, Students, Dental, Students, Medical, Reproducibility of Results
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Claims read by deepseek-v4.1-flash under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-10-09.
Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-10-09.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review