Australian health professionals’ social media (Web 2.0) adoption trends: early 21st century health care delivery and practice promotion

Abstract

This study was concerned with identifying reasons behind patterns of social media (Web 2.0) usage associated with eight of Australia's major health professions. Attention was given to uncovering some of the more significant motivations for the resistance or adoption of Web 2.0 technologies for health care delivery and practice promotion by Australian health professionals. Surveys were developed from a common set of questions with specific variations between professions negotiated with professional health societies. Survey questions were constructed in an attempt to identify Web 2.0 adoption trends. An online survey (www.limesurvey.org) was used to collect data. Initial data preparation involved the development of one integrated SPSS file to incorporate all responses from the eight surveys undertaken. Initial data analysis applied Frequencies and Crosstabs to the identified groups and provided a profile of respondents by key business and demographic characteristics. Of the 935 respondents, 9.5% of participants indicated that they used Web 2.0 for their professional work, 19.1% of them did not use it for work but used it for their personal needs and 71.3% of them did not use Web 2.0 at all. Participants have indicated that the main reason for 'choosing not to adopt' Web 2.0 applications as a way of delivering health care to their patients is due to the health professionals' lack of understanding of Web 2.0 (83.3%), while the main reason for 'choosing to adopt' Web 2.0 applications is the perception of Web 2.0 as a quick and effective method of communication (73.0%). This study has indicated that Australian health professionals 'choose not to adopt' Web 2.0 usage as a way of delivering health care primarily due to 'a lack of understanding as to how social media would be used in health care' (83.3%). This study identifies that Australian health professionals are interacting with Web 2.0 technologies in their private lives but are failing to see how such technologies might be used throughout their professions. Australian health professionals are willing to undertake online educational courses (n=553, 58%) designed to upskill them about how Web 2.0 may be used for practice promotion and health care delivery.

Social media and physicians: Exploring the benefits and challenges

“…A few studies had previously highlighted the reasons for adopting social media tools by physicians. For example, Usher 7 found that Australian physicians adopt social media because it provides a quick and effective way to communicate; has the ability to be used effectively; is appealing for younger patients; they have had requests from patients; it is enjoyable; it has ease of mobility; and it provides a forum for finding relevant health information. 30 Hughes et al 9 have also revealed that junior physicians are interested in Web 2.0 tools because of their ease of use, their structure, and the breadth of information that these sites provide.…”

“…4 Despite the evidence demonstrating the increasing use of social media by many medical practitioners and organizations, it is still nascent and underutilized in the healthcare domain and currently there is a widespread skepticism about and mistrust of the usefulness of social media in healthcare. 6 Although some studies [7][8][9] investigated the adoption of social media by healthcare professionals, most predominantly focused on revealing the patterns of use and the level of physicians' familiarity with social media tools. Very few studies have discussed in detail the potential benefits and challenges of adopting social media by physicians.…”

Fostering interpersonal trust on social media: physicians' perspectives and experiences

“…As many aspects of social media use by healthcare professionals are under-explored, there is a need for further studies to investigate how physicians and other healthcare professionals connect, trust and share knowledge with each other online. In particular, very few studies have explored how physicians trust peers on social media, especially as related to medical knowledge and information important in patient care 4. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify approaches through which physicians develop and sustain mutual trust on social media.…”

“For Me, the Biggest Benefit Is Being Ahead of the Game”:The Use of Social Media in Health Work

“…Australian research involving a survey of health care professionals' attitudes to and use of social media conducted in 2009 (Usher, 2011(Usher, , 2012 found that less than 10% of the respondents used social media for work purposes. The main reason for not adopting social media use for health care delivery was lack of understanding about how to do so.…”