Innovative Social Media Summit: Providing a Path for Physicians on Social Media

US Medical Students' Attitudes, Subjective Norms, and Perceived Behavioral Control Regarding Social Media and Online Professionalism: A Single Institution Study

Phenomenon: In 2011, the American Medical Association added a section on professionalism and social media (i.e., e-professionalism) to the Code of Medical Ethics. Given the constantly evolving nature of social media use, research is needed to explore the attitudes and behaviors of current medical students, for most of whom social media has been a central facet of interpersonal communication and society since they were born. The goal of the current study is to examine students' social media use and attitudes related to online professionalism. Approach: Two-hundred-twenty-two medical students completed a mixed-methods cross-sectional online survey assessing perceptions of professionalism on social media. The survey was informed using the theory of planned behavior and included validated measures of attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control related to social media use and online professionalism. We analyzed data using thematic analysis and descriptive statistics and t-tests were conducted using SPSS 26. Qualitative and quantitative data were integrated during the data interpretation phase. Findings: Quantitative results revealed that students had a positive attitude toward having a social media presence as medical students and future physicians. Students reported: positive attitudes toward sharing positive thoughts, posting photos with family members, and posting photos in white coats or scrubs; neutral attitudes toward posting personal and political opinions; negative attitudes toward posting photos with alcohol, commenting about colleagues or the workplace, using profanity, connecting with patients, and commenting about patients. T-tests revealed significant differences between what students consider to be professional online behaviors for themselves as medical students versus what they believe society will expect of them as a physician. Students reported strong perceived behavioral control regarding professional social media behavior. While students reported they would face some difficulty "cleaning up" some previous content, students strongly disagreed that people's opinions of their online professional image were beyond their control. The qualitative analysis revealed students' perceptions of (a) what it means to demonstrate "online professionalism," (b) the challenges they face related to social media, and (c) training and standards related to social media use. Insights: Overall, our study confirms that students would benefit from e-professionalism training that is not merely disciplinary, but offers them evidence-based recommendations for maintaining medical professionalism while also embracing their personal identity and the benefits of social media as a (future) physician. Policies, guidelines, and training programs should constantly evolve as social norms regarding online communication and online identities evolve.

Informational Preferences of Women Seeking Treatment for Symptomatic Uterine Fibroids: A Qualitative Study

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To establish the informational needs and preferences of women navigating treatment options for symptomatic uterine fibroids.

DESIGN

Qualitative study using semistructured interviews.

SETTING

Academic institution.

PATIENTS

Participants had a diagnosis of symptomatic uterine fibroids with an active treatment plan.

INTERVENTIONS

Semistructured video interviews were conducted with female patients undergoing treatment for symptomatic uterine fibroids (n = 20). Women were recruited from the outpatient Center for Complex Gynecology in Chicago, IL. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. A codebook was developed based on the interview transcripts, and the finalized coding was used to conduct a thematic analysis.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Four distinct themes emerged from the interviews: (1) Social supports-including social media-play an important role in informing patients' treatment choices; (2) Patients spend significant energy seeking additional information beyond their obstetrician-gynecologist; (3) Patients prioritize receiving full and complete information from their provider; and (4) Patients experience information-related delays in receiving care.

CONCLUSION

Patients seeking care for symptomatic uterine fibroids have strong preferences about both the quality and extent of information they receive from their gynecologists. Physicians treating these conditions must adapt to changing informational desires and consider expanding physician engagement with patients' social media needs.