Social Media: Promotion and Professional Development Opportunities for Doctors

Abstract

CONTEXT. Social Media (SM) provides multiple/various oportunities for
physicians, including: health promotion through public messaging, professional
development through access to webinars and other training resources, and
promotion of personal profile and the institution they represent.
METHODS. A total of 988 physicians from the Republic of Moldova were
surveyed by adapting the questionnaire developed by EHRA (E-Communication
Committee and the EHRA Scientific Initiatives Committee). Methods: historical,
sociological and statistical.
RESULTS. The level of SM use by physicians for professional purposes
shows specificities depending on living environment, geographical area, age,
gender and field of activity. Physicians aged 36-45 are most aware of the
effectiveness of SM for health communication (92.5%). Only 34.2% of all
physicians reported using SM to distribute information to patients or the general
public. SM networks are primarily used to follow new scientific publications,
attend lectures/webinars and scientific events.
Less appreciated are the promotion of personal image (17.9%) and effective
communication with patients/general public (19.0%). Although representing a
rather small share (9.6%), those who do not use SM at all claim lack of time, lack
of skills, lack of interest in the online environment and sometimes lack of
technical means. The main advantages in using SM are: availability and easy
access to professional materials and information, access to some information that
cannot be obtained through live contact, and avoidance of the financial expenses
inherent in traditional training and meetings.
CONCLUSIONS. Although most physicians consider social media to be an
effective channel of communication in healthcare, the number of those actively
using this tool in their professional practice is quite low. At the same time, there is
a lack of awareness of the benefits of SM as an effective communication channel
with patients or the general public, which highlights the need for training on the
use of social media as a personal and institutional promotional tool.