Social media in healthcare: Advantages and challenges perceived by patients at a teaching hospital in eastern province, Saudi Arabia
| Autor: | Alaa Khalid Alsaffar, Ghufran Sadeq Alsanni, Zahra Tawfeq Alyousef, Mona Faisal Al-Qahtani, Abrar Radhi Alshammasi, Mishael Fahad Alhussaini |
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| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Microbiology (medical)
medicine.medical_specialty 020205 medical informatics social media Immunology lcsh:Medicine Convenience sample 02 engineering and technology patients Teaching hospital 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Healthcare delivery Older patients Health care 0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineering Immunology and Allergy Medicine Confidentiality Social media 030212 general & internal medicine business.industry Healthcare lcsh:R Family medicine business |
| Zdroj: | Saudi Journal for Health Sciences, Vol 7, Iss 2, Pp 116-120 (2018) |
| ISSN: | 2278-0521 |
| DOI: | 10.4103/sjhs.sjhs_36_18 |
| Popis: | Aims: This study aimed to determine the types of, the frequency of, and reasons for social media usage by patients. In addition, this study attempts to explore patients' perceptions of the advantages and main challenges associated with using social media in healthcare. Subjects and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Questionnaires were distributed to a convenience sample of 400 patients at a teaching hospital in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. The data were analyzed by performing descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Of the 400 patients, 377 patients used social media. Females were more frequent users (60.7%) of social media than males (39.3%). Young patients were more frequent users of social media than older patients. Most patients used social media daily. The patients reported that the main purpose of their usage of social media was to care for their own health. The main advantage was to enable patients to learn about the symptoms of their illness and the method of treatment. A small percentage of patients believed that using social media in healthcare might breach the confidentiality and security of their information, which was the main challenge associated with using social media in healthcare. Conclusion: Social media is revolutionizing healthcare delivery, and its benefits overcome its drawbacks. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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