Social Media: Untapped Potential for Patient Education and Subject Recruitment

摘要

Objective: To compare social media use in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS) and obstetrics and gynecology clinic (OB/GYN) populations. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved a self-administered 23 question survey. Demographic information, access to internet, social media use, and patient perspectives on healthcare providers on social media were assessed. Summary statistics were calculated for the study population. Continuous variables were compared using Student's t-tests; categorical variables were compared using chi-square or Fisher's exact tests. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 161 patients participated in the survey: 83 FPMRS patients and 78 OB/GYN patients. Current social media use was reported by 85.1% of patients. The average subject age was 41.1 years (SD± 16.9). FPMRS patients were older than the OB/GYN patients (51 years (SD± 15.1) vs. 30 years (SD± 10.5), p<0.001). Access to internet by computer was reported by 93.2% of patients; 91.9% of patients reported access to internet by cell phone.OB/GYN patients reported more social media use "mostly by phone"compared to FPMRS patients (p<.001). FPMRS patients reported using "computer and phone equally" more frequently than OB/GYN patients. Facebook was the most popular social media site used with 95.6% of social media users reporting use. Patients reported that they would like to see educational materials, treatments, and clinical trial information on their provider's social media account. Conclusions: A majority of female patients use social media and have cell phone access. Increased utilization of social media may facilitate development of targeted strategies for patient recruitment and education.