Cited by 135Social Media in Health EducationHealth Literacy and Information AccessibilitySocial Media and Politics

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 26 of the 26 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 22 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Social media use by physicians: a qualitative study of the new frontier of medicine

Open access
Campbell, Lauren, Evans, Yolanda, Pumper, Megan, Moreno, Megan A.·2016·BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A growing number of physicians are using social media as a professional platform for health communication. The purpose of this study was to understand perspectives and experiences of these "early adopter" physician bloggers and social media users. METHODS: This was an exploratory qualitative study involving in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews of physicians who were early adopters, defined as physicians who used social media to distribute health information. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling. Interview transcripts were manually analyzed for common themes by three separate investigators who came to common conclusions via the constant comparative method. RESULTS: Seventeen physicians participated in this study, including 35 % females, 76 % pediatricians and 76 % bloggers. Participants identified multiple perceived benefits and barriers to social media use by physicians; further, four major themes were identified. First, participants often saw themselves as rugged individualists who set their own rules for social media health communications. Second, participants expressed uncertainty about boundaries or strategies for social media use. Third, participants described using social media much like traditional media, as a one-way communication platform, rather than as an interactive forum. Finally, participants expressed disparate views regarding the time involved in participating in social media; some felt that time spent on social media was unproblematic to fit into their day while others felt that it was an impediment to patient care. CONCLUSIONS: Uncertainty remains regarding roles and responsibilities of physicians providing medical content within social media forums and few providers appeared to be using the platform to its full potential. Future studies may inform best practices to optimize social media health communication to benefit patients.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This qualitative study interviewed 17 “early adopter” physicians who used social media to distribute health information, finding varied perceived benefits and barriers plus four themes: rugged individualism, uncertainty, social media as media, and time constraints. Participants often used social media as a one-way broadcast platform and reported uncertainty about boundaries, impact, and best practices.

Key findings

  • Seventeen physicians participated: 65% male, 35% female, 82% Caucasian, 76% pediatricians, and 76% bloggers; most used multiple platforms, including Twitter (10), Facebook (7), Pinterest (3), YouTube (2), Tumblr (2), and freestanding blogs (13).
  • Most participants felt benefits outweighed barriers; perceived benefits included career/research advancement, self-improvement, increasing reach, and open expression, while barriers included time/work requirements, skill requirements, lack of institutional support, fear of saying the wrong thing, and lack of models/guidelines.
  • Four major themes emerged: rugged individualism (only 6 of 17 reported any peer review, and none mentioned formal peer review), uncertainty (about preparedness, audience, impact, and repercussions), social media as media (often used as a one-way “megaphone” rather than interactive forum), and time constraints (some found it easy to fit in; others saw it as an impediment to patient care).
  • Participants also described patient benefits such as accurate, trusted, understandable health information and engagement outside the office, and patient barriers including language, literacy/education, lack of internet access, and privacy concerns.

Methods

  • Exploratory qualitative study using in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews with physicians who had at least one year cumulative experience using social media to distribute health information; interviews were conducted January 2014–November 2015.
  • Recruitment used snowball sampling beginning with pediatricians, asking participants to recommend physicians from varied specialties and practices; 17 physicians participated, and interviews generally lasted 20–40 minutes and were transcribed verbatim by hand-typed notes.
  • Analysis included a preliminary evaluation after 10 interviews, then formal coding after 17 interviews by three investigators who read transcripts, identified codes and themes, discussed to consensus, and used the constant comparative method.

Limitations

  • Stated: small purposeful sample, predominance of pediatricians, recruitment of nominated successful/influential early adopters, nonrandom sample not generalizable, two-year study period amid changing social media systems, no longitudinal assessment, and qualitative design not intended for causal inference.
  • Evident: the sample was mostly male, Caucasian, and pediatrician, and participants were self-selected early adopters, limiting transferability; data rely on self-report and hand-typed interview notes, and no patient-level outcomes or behavior-change data were collected.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1186/s12911-016-0327-y

Cites

26 of 26 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Figures

Fig. 1 Categories of social media used by participants
Fig. 1 Categories of social media used by participantsCC BY · PubMed Central
Fig. 2 Hours per week spent using social media
Fig. 2 Hours per week spent using social mediaCC BY · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

90 Own result · 15 Not checked yet · 10 Own method · 9 Own interpretation · 2 No basis given

Verify all 22 references — free account

Show all 63 claims

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 42
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 29
63 of 63
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Social media use for health promotion by physicians is a relatively new practice.

    “As social media use for health promotion by physicians is still a relatively new practice, the participants were considered to be early adopters in this field.”
    “Given that the phenomenon of social media use by healthcare providers is relatively new, open-ended questions were used to obtain insights from participants.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Social media allows for two-way communication online between creators and consumers of information.

    “Social media is unique in that it allows for two-way communication online between creators and consumers of information.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Social media allows participants to listen as well as communicate back, unlike traditional media which is one-directional.

    “Unlike traditional media in which messages are distributed in a one directional manner, social media allows participants to listen as well as communicate back.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The physician-bloggers nominated by their peers are successful, influential, and recognized early adopters.

    “We specifically recruited physician-bloggers who were nominated by their peers because of their success, influence and recognition.”
4 of 4

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Citations

Cites

Show all 26 references

Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. Social media. In: Oxford Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2014.
  2. Fox S. The Social Life of Health Information, 2011. Washington, D.C: Pew Research Center; 2011.
  3. Soyer AD. In: Committee APM: American Academy/Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, editor. Social media in healthcare: a primer for orthopaedic surgeons. 2012.
  4. AMA. In: Association AM, editor. AMA policy: professionalism in the use of social media. 2011.
  5. AAP. In: Pediatrics AAo, editor. Social media resource kit for AAP chapters. 2010.
  6. AAFP. In: Physicians AAoF, editor. Social media for family physicians: guidelines and resources for success. 2013.
  7. Zickuhr K, Smith A. Digital differences. Washington, D.C: Pew Research Center; 2012.

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Metadata

Authors
Campbell, L., Evans, Y., Pumper, M., & Moreno, M. A.
Affiliations
  • University of Washington (US)
  • Seattle Children's Research Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Moreno, Megan A.
Venue
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
Published
2016-07-15
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
91-91
ISSN
1472-6947 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2471449888
Cited by
135
References
26
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 6
FWCI
14.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ResearchWorks at the University of Washington (University of Washington) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Social Media in Health Education
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
  • Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
Keywords
physician social media use, health communication, early adopters, perceived benefits and barriers, physician identity, one-way communication, time constraints, patient care, pediatricians
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Female, Humans, Male, Medicine, Middle Aged, Physicians, Qualitative Research, Social Media

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