Use of Social Media among Intern Doctors in Regards to Covid-19

Abstract

<jats:p>Background: The world is not just fighting a pandemic of COVID-19, but also tackling infodemic due to the rampant spread of misinformation and rumor about COVID-19 across various online and printed media. Social media is an easy, quick, and cost-effective source of information but its contents are not regulated. Users also usually don't verify information on social media on authentic sites. So, misinformation spreads at a exponential rate. Intern doctors as young physician should have scientific knowledge of disease and not be misled by rumors. Also, health-related information shared by health professionals owes greater credibility to the public. This study aims to explore whether or not intern doctors are using social media rationally in regards to COVID-19.&#x0D; Methods: This is a cross-sectional, mixed-method study carried out among medical and dental interns of KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital. Data was collected with the help of a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire after pretesting. Two Focus group discussions were conducted to gain in- depth information.&#x0D; Findings: 65 % percent of the intern doctors most often used social media to gain information about COVID-19 out of which 87.1 % used Facebook more often. Around 46 % just read the full title of news appearing in social media while only 32.9 % read the full text. 36 % share the news just by seeing the title. Nearly 35 % of intern doctors check the authenticity of information on social media by verifying it via experts or from authentic sources.&#x0D; Conclusion: Rational use of social media is a must to combat the epidemic of COVID 19. Health professionals including young doctors like interns should focus on scientific and evidence-based information and should use social media rationally both for acquisition and dissemination of information on COVID-19.</jats:p>

Social Media and Medical Applications in the Healthcare Context: Adoption by Medical Interns

“…For the interviewed interns, most of the patients’ consultations and educational courses were held online which were some of the main purposes for increasing the use of medical Apps, as well as learning more about the pandemic from (official) SM accounts. Other studies found that gaining information about COVID-19 among physicians and promoting behaviors to prevent COVID-19 among the public were also common motives for using SM and medical Apps [23-25]. In fact, research has shown that the usage of SM tends to increase in natural disasters and crises which is consistent with our data [26].…”

COVID-19-related misinformation on social media: a systematic review

“… 11 , 12 , 15 , 16 , 22 , 26 – 28 Seven studies suggested addressing, containing or debunking misinformation: 2 , 5 , 10 , 14 , 15 , 26 , 27 misinformation could be replaced by facts and accurate information, or health authorities could debunk myths and help answer people’s queries. Four studies mentioned increasing the health literacy of social media users: 10 , 23 , 27 , 28 they highlighted the need to educate social media users on how to determine what information is reliable and to encourage them to assume personal responsibility for not circulating false information. Three studies proposed that social media should be supervised by an authority or government: 10 , 19 , 26 misinformation could be addressed by the government providing more comprehensive reports on the current epidemiological situation.…”

“…Three studies proposed that social media should be supervised by an authority or government: 10 , 19 , 26 misinformation could be addressed by the government providing more comprehensive reports on the current epidemiological situation. Three studies suggested introducing policies or regulations for social media, 20 , 27 , 29 and two mentioned the need for more research. 22 , 23 Six studies did not suggest any solutions.…”

“…37 , 38 Several studies confirm that health professionals and public health authorities could assist by debunking misinformation and providing true information. 2 , 5 , 10 , 14 , 15 , 26 , 27 Correspondingly, WHO has created a specific webpage for correcting misinformation about the disease. 39 However, although messages that debunk misinformation on social media may have the desired effect, it has been observed that such messages can also contribute to the persistence of misinformation.…”

“…As social media users can easily lose track of what information can be trusted, teaching users how to identify reliable information is important. 10 , 23 , 27 , 28 One way of educating users about what information is trustworthy is to mark misleading posts as such. 41 In addition, nudging (i.e.…”