Characterizing the Use and Potential of Social Media for Education and Advancement in Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

OBJECTIVE

Social media has significantly impacted how healthcare professionals access health education, news, and communication. However, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) clinicians' professional use of social media remains unclear. Our objective was to characterize current EMS social media use and explore the potential for future professional use.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional survey of nationally-certified EMS clinicians. Data were collected from November to December 2018. Respondents were surveyed regarding demographics, social media use, and use of and preferences for accessing EMS-specific social media content. Descriptive statistics were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 3,087 participants responded to the survey. Of these, 2,705 respondents met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the sample were male (68%, n=1,838), non-Hispanic White (85%, n=2,200), with a mean (SD) age of 37 (±13.1) years. More than half (57%, n=1,531) were certified as EMTs and worked full-time (61%, n=1,387) in urban settings (60%, n=1,630). The most commonly used social media platforms included Facebook™ (80%, n=2,175) and Instagram™ (48%, n=1,285), with 66% (n=1,600) of respondents checking social media platforms several times per day. The most common professional uses of social media were for education (64%) and news (65%). Respondents reported interest in using social media for EMS resources, including education (83%, n=1,989), news/events (60%, n=1,439), products/innovations (57%, n=1,352), and networking/job opportunities (54%, n=1,285). Many EMS clinicians reported their EMS agency had a social media policy (63%), but 15% reported they were not allowed to use social media for professional activities.

CONCLUSIONS

EMS clinicians access social media frequently and express interest in its use for professional resources. However, many EMS do not currently use social media for professional activities. Considering EMS clinicians' interest in social media for professional reasons and the growing use of social media across numerous professional fields, EMS agencies and organizations should consider broadening outreach to clinicians through social media.