Health Professionals' Attitude Toward the Use of Social Media for COVID-19 Related Information in Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

BackgroundSocial media platform is one way to share online information regarding pandemic prevention. However, there is no study regarding the attitude of health professionals toward social media use for the COVID-19-related information. This study aimed to assess health professionals' attitudes toward using social media for COVID-19-related information.MethodsAn institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 355 health professionals in Bahir Dar city public health centers, Northwest Ethiopia. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data were entered by EPI-data version 4.6 and analyzed using SPSS version 23 software. Descriptive statistics, bivariable, and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to describe respondents' attitudes toward using social media for COVID-19 information and identify associated factors. An adjusted odds ratio (OR) and a p-value with a 95% CI were calculated to measure the strength of the association and assess statistical significance.ResultOut of 341 participants, about 73% of the participants had a good attitude toward the use of social media for COVID-19 information. Age < 24 [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.74, 95% CI: (1.53–9.13)] and age group 25–34 years [AOR = 2.25, 95% CI: (1.04–4.86)], computer training [AOR = 2.03, 95% CI: (1.03–4.00)], usefulness of social media [AOR = 3.25, 95% CI: (1.58–6.67)], and trustworthiness [AOR = 3.57, 95% CI: (1.93–6.60)] were enabling factors for attitude toward the use of social media for COVID-19 related information.ConclusionHealth professionals had a moderate attitude toward using social media for accessing COVID-19-related information. This implies that after considering positive attitude predictors, such as providing basic computer training, emphasizing the usefulness of social media, and building trusted social media pages, social media platforms can be used as a source of COVID-19-related information for health professionals.

Electronic Medical Record System Use and Determinants in Ethiopia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…This suggests that health providers needed access to the EMR guidelines to promote the usage of EMR systems. Substantial evidence from various places supports this justification [28][29][30]. Our analysis also revealed that receiving management assistance has a significant association with the use of EMR systems.…”

“…Previous investigations have also supported these findings [2,21]. This might be because younger medical professionals are more open to adopting new technologies and have a better comprehension of information and communications technology than their older counterparts [28][29][30]. This implied that special attention should be paid to older health care professionals to boost the acceptance of the new health information technology.…”

Organizational and health professional readiness for the implementation of electronic medical record system: an implication for the current EMR implementation in northwest Ethiopia

“…In contrast, the final score of one (not yet prepared) was categorised as ‘not ready to implement an EMR system’. 30 31 …”

“…The item scores for each organisational readiness component were added and divided by the number of items to create a composite variable ranging from scores 1 to 3 for the data analysis 28–30. As a result, two or more final scores (highly prepared, moderately prepared) were labelled as ‘Ready to implement an EMR system’.…”

“…As a result, two or more final scores (highly prepared, moderately prepared) were labelled as ‘Ready to implement an EMR system’. In contrast, the final score of one (not yet prepared) was categorised as ‘not ready to implement an EMR system’ 30 31…”