Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Medical Education
Date Submitted: Sep 3, 2025
Date Accepted: Apr 17, 2026
Social Media Adoption and Use in Health Care: Cross Sectional Study Among Medical Residents
ABSTRACT
Background:
Social media apps are widely used by healthcare professionals despite security and regulatory risks. Understanding the drivers of this behavior is critical to develop effective risk-reduction strategies.
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate how medical residents use six popular social media apps in professional tasks and to identify factors influencing their adoption in healthcare, using the validated Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model.
Methods:
An anonymous online survey was conducted from June to November 2024 to French medical residents. Participants reported demographic characteristics, frequency and professional context of use for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Messenger, TikTok, and WhatsApp, and completed UTAUT2-based items. UTAUT 2 was adapted by adding Technology Trust items. With sufficient sample size, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was performed for WhatsApp to identify factors influencing use.
Results:
A total of 137 residents (63.5% female; 40 specialties) completed the survey. WhatsApp was used professionally by 92.7% of participants, primarily for patient care (written transmissions: 62.8%, case discussions: 55.5%, specialist advice: 62.8%) and professional networking. Messenger was used by 46.7% for similar purposes. Facebook (25.6%) and LinkedIn (14.6%) were used for education and networking; Instagram (8.0%) was rarely used; TikTok never used. Regarding adoption factors, UTAUT2 analysis showed WhatsApp scored highest overall, especially for Performance Expectancy; LinkedIn scored highest for Social Influence, and Instagram for Hedonic Motivation. Technology Trust was consistently low for all apps. Factor analysis for WhatsApp identified Habit as the only significant predictor of Behavioral Intention (β=0.53, P<.001) and Use Behavior (β=0.45, P<.001).
Conclusions:
WhatsApp dominates professional use among residents, despite low trust in security, driven mainly by habit. Secure alternatives with similar features to popular social media apps, supported by institutional policies and digital professionalism training, are needed to encourage physicians to better consider safety when using social media.
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Copyright
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