How Social Physicians Are? A Generation-split Analysis of the Attitudes Towards the Use of Social Media Among Romanian Physicians

Our study aimed to evaluate if within the Romanian physician community differences on how different generations use social media exist.The perceptions toward social media of Romanian physicians were investigated using a 17-items questionnaire. Data available in 2017 on the Romanian College of Physicians' website as mailing address represented the available population. The invitation to the study was randomly sent to 2,000 doctors in November 2017. 271 (13.6%) questionnaires were returned properly filled. Majority of the respondents (65.7%) used Facebook. Doctors search for medical information (79.3%) on social media daily (27.6%). 28% of the respondents never offer medical advice via social media to colleagues nor patients (23.0%). 22.3% of the responders acknowledge a healthcare professionals' community on social media, but it is not seen as helping accomplish daily tasks, treating the patients, improving work performance or the services provided. Most of the doctors do not discuss social media utilization for searching health information (66%) nor interact with their patients via social media (68.3%), still the ones that do it, prefer Facebook (16.2%). Our study suggests that the usability of social media among Romanian physicians is low. Most of the Romanian doctors do not use these platforms in their medical practice.