JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Social media (So-Me) and its platforms are a valuable resource for healthcare professionals and academics to learn about, discuss, and distribute current advances in research and clinical practices, as well as new technology trends.

Objective:

This research aims to assess to role of social media on urologist practices in Saudi Arabia. The study explores how digital platforms influence patient interaction, professional communication, decision-making, and education within the study.

Methods:

This survey was conducted among 145 urologists after approval from the Institutional Review Board between July 2021 and July 2022. The questionnaire was designed using the "Survey Monkey'' platform to examine urologist knowledge of social media use. The survey was carried out by "CHERRIES – Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys." Data were analyzed through SPSS 21.0.

Results:

The majority of the participants were Saudi, with 102 (70%). The majority of the 79 (61.5%) urologists utilized social media for professional purposes and they agreed that it improves customer interaction, professional communication, and decision-making. The R-value represents the simple correlation and is 0.653, which indicates a positive linear relationship. The R2 value indicates total variation in the dependent variable from questions 1 to 20, which can be explained by the independent variable, Gender. However, the majority of the values revealed that gender does not play a significant role in utilizing social media except a few.

Conclusions:

Healthcare programs for professional and patient-centered care with the help of social media could be de-signed with accuracy to improve and modernize the Saudi Arabian healthcare system through legislative assistance and guidelines development.