Alfozan Mohammed, Alshahrani Saad, Alasmi Raed
Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, 16278, Saudi Arabia, 966 11 588 8888.
JMIR Form Res. 2024 Dec 16;8:e58510. doi: 10.2196/58510.
Social media (So-Me) platforms are valuable resources for health care professionals and academics to discover, discuss, and distribute current advances in research and clinical practices, including technology trends.
This study aims to assess the role of So-Me in urological practice in Saudi Arabia. It explores the influence of digital platforms on patient interaction, professional communication, decision-making, and education.
The survey was conducted among 145 urologists from July 2021 to July 2022 following institutional review board approval. A questionnaire designed using the SurveyMonkey platform examined urologists' knowledge of So-Me. The survey was conducted using the CHERRIES (Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys) guidelines and was open for 17 weeks. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 21.0.
Of the 145 participants, 70% (n=102) were Saudi Arabians. The most common age groups were 30-40 (n=68, 46.8%) and 41-50 (n=61, 42.2%) years, with a gender distribution of 44.8% (n=65) women and 55.2% (n=80) men. A total of 61.5% (n=89) of urologists reported using So-Me accounts for professional purposes, with 54.9% (n=80) sharing health-related information. Social media enhanced patient connections beyond clinic visits for 55.8% (n=81) of respondents, while 57.2% (n=83) used it to provide educational resources. Additionally, 56.5% (n=82) believed So-Me facilitated patient feedback and improved their practice. In terms of professional communication, 60.6% (n=88) of urologists agreed that So-Me facilitated collaboration with colleagues, while 63.3% (n=92) used it to stay updated on the latest advances in urology. Furthermore, 62% (n=90) followed professional societies or journals on So-Me, and 63.3% (n=92) used it for continuing medical education. A majority (n=94, 64.7%) reported that So-Me influenced treatment decisions based on new research findings, and 85.3% (n=124) learned about novel technologies and treatment options through these platforms. Regression analysis showed a significant positive correlation between gender and social media usage patterns (R=0.653, R2=0.426), indicating that approximately 42.6% of the differences in usage patterns can be attributed to gender. However, the Pearson χ2 analysis showed that gender did not significantly affect most aspects of social media use, except information sharing and participating in online discussions (both P<.05).
This study highlights the widespread use of So-Me among urologists in Saudi Arabia, underscoring its role in enhancing patient interaction, professional development, and clinical decision-making. Strategically designed health care programs using social media could improve and modernize professional and patient-centered care in Saudi Arabia through legislative assistance and guidelines.
社交媒体平台是医疗保健专业人员和学者发现、讨论和传播研究及临床实践（包括技术趋势）当前进展的宝贵资源。
本研究旨在评估社交媒体在沙特阿拉伯泌尿外科实践中的作用。它探讨数字平台对患者互动、专业交流、决策和教育的影响。
在获得机构审查委员会批准后，于2021年7月至2022年7月对145名泌尿科医生进行了调查。使用SurveyMonkey平台设计的问卷考查了泌尿科医生对社交媒体的了解情况。该调查按照CHERRIES（互联网电子调查结果报告清单）指南进行，为期17周。使用SPSS 21.0进行数据分析。
在145名参与者中，70%（n = 102）为沙特阿拉伯人。最常见的年龄组是30 - 40岁（n = 68，46.8%）和41 - 50岁（n = 61，42.2%），性别分布为女性44.8%（n = 65），男性55.2%（n = 80）。共有61.5%（n = 89）的泌尿科医生报告出于专业目的使用社交媒体账号，其中54.9%（n = 80）分享与健康相关的信息。55.8%（n = 81）的受访者表示社交媒体加强了门诊就诊之外的患者联系，而57.2%（n = 83）利用它提供教育资源。此外，56.5%（n = 82）认为社交媒体有助于患者反馈并改善他们的实践。在专业交流方面，60.6%（n = 88）的泌尿科医生同意社交媒体促进了与同事的合作，而63.3%（n = 92）利用它了解泌尿外科的最新进展。此外，62%（n = 90）在社交媒体上关注专业协会或期刊，63.3%（n = 92）利用它进行继续医学教育。大多数（n = 94，64.7%）报告社交媒体基于新的研究发现影响了治疗决策，85.3%（n = 124）通过这些平台了解到新技术和治疗选择。回归分析显示性别与社交媒体使用模式之间存在显著正相关（R = 0.653，R² = 0.426），表明使用模式差异的约42.6%可归因于性别。然而，Pearson χ²分析表明，除了信息分享和参与在线讨论（P均<0.05）外，性别对社交媒体使用的大多数方面没有显著影响。
本研究强调了社交媒体在沙特阿拉伯泌尿科医生中的广泛使用，凸显了其在加强患者互动、专业发展和临床决策方面的作用。通过立法协助和指南，利用社交媒体精心设计的医疗保健项目可以改善沙特阿拉伯以专业和患者为中心的医疗服务并使其现代化。
