Daniel Fady, Jabak Suha, Sasso Roula, Chamoun Yara, Tamim Hani
Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Department of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
JMIR Med Inform. 2018 Apr 6;6(2):e18. doi: 10.2196/medinform.8895.
The increased prevalence of virtual communication technology, particularly social media, has shifted the physician-patient relationship away from the well-established face-to-face interaction. The views and habits of physicians in Lebanon toward the use of online apps and social media as forms of patient communication have not been previously described.
The aim of this study is to describe the views of Lebanese physicians toward the use of social media and other online apps as means of patient communication.
This was a cross-sectional observational study using an online survey that addressed physicians' perceptions on the use of virtual communication in their clinical practice. The study took place between April and June 2016, and was directed toward physicians at the American University of Beirut Medical Center.
A total of 834 doctors received the online survey, with 238 physicians completing the survey. Most of the participants were from medical specialties. Most responders were attending physicians. Less than half of the respondents believed that Web-based apps and social media could be a useful tool for communicating with patients. Email was the most common form of professional online app, followed by WhatsApp (an instant messaging service). The majority of participants felt that this mode of communication can result in medicolegal issues and that it was a breach of privacy. Participants strictly against the use of virtual forms of communication made up 47.5% (113/238) of the study sample.
The majority of physicians at the American University of Beirut Medical Center are reluctant to use virtual communication technology as a form of patient communication. Appropriate policy making and strategies can allow both physicians and patients to communicate virtually in a more secure setting without fear of breaching privacy and confidentiality.
虚拟通信技术，尤其是社交媒体的日益普及，已使医患关系从既定的面对面互动中脱离出来。黎巴嫩医生对于使用在线应用程序和社交媒体作为患者沟通形式的看法和习惯此前尚未得到描述。
本研究旨在描述黎巴嫩医生对于使用社交媒体和其他在线应用程序作为患者沟通方式的看法。
这是一项横断面观察性研究，采用在线调查来了解医生对在临床实践中使用虚拟通信的看法。该研究于2016年4月至6月进行，针对的是贝鲁特美国大学医学中心的医生。
共有834名医生收到在线调查，其中238名医生完成了调查。大多数参与者来自医学专科。大多数受访者是主治医师。不到一半的受访者认为基于网络的应用程序和社交媒体可能是与患者沟通的有用工具。电子邮件是最常见的专业在线应用程序形式，其次是WhatsApp（一种即时通讯服务）。大多数参与者认为这种沟通方式可能会导致医疗法律问题，并且是对隐私的侵犯。坚决反对使用虚拟沟通形式的参与者占研究样本的47.5%（113/238）。
贝鲁特美国大学医学中心的大多数医生不愿意将虚拟通信技术用作患者沟通的形式。适当的政策制定和策略可以让医生和患者在更安全的环境中进行虚拟沟通，而不必担心侵犯隐私和保密性。
