Scientific Poster Session IV: Late-Breaking Original Research

Abstract

Previous studies have examined social media habits and utilization patterns among various groups of healthcare professionals (HCPs). However, very few studies have evaluated the use of social media to support Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities. The goal of the 2023 Clinical Education Alliance (CEA) social media survey was to explore how HCPs interact professionally with social media, describe utilization trends, and identify barriers to using social media to disseminate CPD content.

Research Question or Hypothesis:

How do HCPs utilize social media for their professional development?

Study Design: Digital voluntary survey

Methods:

We conducted an online anonymous, voluntary survey of HCPs contained in the CEA learner database from January to March 2023. The survey was distributed via email and all learners were invited to participate regardless of profession or specialty. This survey consisted of 16 questions and collected demographic information and social media utilization and habits of HCPs. Relationships between variables were reported using descriptive analyses using SPSS 29.0 for Windows. Missing responses and unanswered questions were not included in the final analyses.

Results:

Of the 2,615 HCPs who completed the survey, 71.2% use social media. Most respondents were practicing in an urban setting (59.6%) and have been practicing for more than 15 years (70.5%). The most widely used platform was Facebook (70.7%), but there were no significant differences among the different professions. Of the respondents who use social media, 44.5% used social media to access CPD-certified activities. Surveyed learners preferred passive participation with social media content. Participant-reported concerns include issues with legitimacy of the information, privacy, time constraints, and institutional barriers.

Conclusion:

As the CPD community continues to evolve and seek new innovative strategies to reach HCPs, the findings of this survey highlight the need to identify and enact social media-based strategies aimed to engage HCPs and provide them with unbiased evidence-based education.

Presenting Author

Authors