Patient-Physician Communication in the Era of Mobile Phones and Social Media Apps: Cross-Sectional Observational Study on Lebanese Physicians� Perceptions and Attitudes

Abstract

Background:The increased prevalence of virtual communication technology, particularly social media, has shifted the physician-patient relationship away from the well-established face-to-face interaction. The views and habits of physicians in Lebanon toward the use of online apps and social media as forms of patient communication have not been previously described.Objective: The aim of this study is to describe the views of Lebanese physicians toward the use of social media and other online apps as means of patient communication. Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study using an online survey that addressed physicians' perceptions on the use of virtual communication in their clinical practice. The study took place between April and

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physicians’ Use and Perception of Telehealth: The Case of Lebanon

“…The sudden requirement for telemedicine put the physicians in an unregulated situation; some regulation could have helped them with this transition. Ensuring the continuity of telemedicine activities after the COVID-19 crisis requires adequate regulations, especially considering that the absence of medicolegal frameworks protecting physicians is a major barrier for the adoption for telemedicine [ 25 , 26 ].…”

O uso do WhatsApp na relação médico-paciente

“…This lack of care of physicians with transmitted information, especially information about patients, also became a source of discussion in a study of the American University of Beirut Medical Center, in which the majority of participants (78.6%) believed that virtual communication could result in medical-legal problems, and 71% considered it a privacy violation 28 . This issue also helps to stimulate discussions about the use of WhatsApp.…”

WhatsApp and Gynecologist-Patient Interaction: Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Assess the Stress Perceived by the Doctor

“…The authors developed the questionnaire after a thorough literature review and the items were generated based on the currently available literature and their basic research issue. 3 11 12 The questionnaire included general demographics and nine questions that examined the perception of doctors on the use of this virtual interaction as a stressor, according to the weekly WhatsApp usage time for communication with patients. The items were measured by a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5 points (1, never; 2, almost never; 3, sometimes; 4, frequently; and 5, very frequently), and 9 items with scores ranging from 9 to 45 (the higher the score, the grater the perception of the use of the virtual communication with patients as a stressor).…”

“…3 7 8 9 Despite the many benefits, existing risks or disadvantages have also been reported: increase in workload by staying online 24 hours a day, disparity in the sense of urgency, worsening of professional relationships and risk of unprofessional behavior, clinical information not being included in medical records, possible issues of privacy and data protection, ethical aspects of clinical evaluations at a distance, and lack of specific legislation. 9 10 11 12 Besides, some disadvantages of using WhatssApp may be the error in the interpretation by the professionals of complaints of the patients and failures in the understanding of the recommendations by the patients. 4…”