WhatsApp and Gynecologist-Patient Interaction: Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Assess the Stress Perceived by the Doctor

Abstract

Objective Construction and validation of the WhatsApp Stress Scale (WASS), a questionnaire designed for physicians that measures how the use of smartphones and related software communication applications affects the quality of life of gynecologists who use this tool to communicate with patients. Methods The present cross-sectional observational study analyzed 60 gynecologists according to weekly WhatsApp usage time for communication with patients and compared the data with the perception of the doctor on the use of this virtual interaction as a stressor. Physicians were equally divided into three groups: < 2 hours, 2 to 5 hours, and > 5 hours. The authors created a questionnaire in Likert scale format. The study proceeded in three phases: development of the questionnaire items, pretesting, constructing, and validity and reliability testing using factor analysis, Cronbach α coefficient, and paired t-test. Results A 9-item instrument using a 5-point Likert scale was created and administered to the participants in 3 different times: T0, T1 (15 minutes after the end of T0), and T2 (15 days later). All questionnaire items possessed adequate content validity indices and the internal consistency of the instrument was satisfactory (Cronbach α 0.935; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.744–0.989; p = 0.0001). No statistically significant differences were observed in the responses between the rounds of testing, indicating good test-retest reliability. A positive association between the high frequency of WhatsApp usage for communication with patients and the stress perceived by the doctor was shown. Conclusion The WASS is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the use of messaging applications to communicate with patients as a stressor perceived by gynecologists.

Message applications in the doctor-patient relationship as a stressor

“…Sociodemographic data were collected and the physicians answered three instruments in a self-administered manner: techno-stress questionnaire, WhatsApp Stress Scale (WASS), and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) [16][17][18] .…”

“…WASS: It is a questionnaire, created and validated by the authors of the present study, to measure how communication applications affect the well-being of gynecologists and obstetricians who use this tool to communicate with patients. The nine items were measured by a 5-point Likert scale, with score averages ranging from 1-517 . 3.…”

Translation and validation of the techno-stress questionnaire in Brazil

“…Innumerable advantages of using communication applications in healthcare have been reported: free of cost, improvement of communication, time saving, no requirement for a computer, and the possibility of an immediate response. Besides, drawbacks have also been described: increase in workload by staying online 24 h a day, disparity in the sense of urgency, clinical information not being included in medical records, possible issues of privacy and data protection, ethical aspects of clinical evaluations at a distance, and lack of specific legislation [4][5][6][7][8] .…”