Evidence-Based Medicine
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2017. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Feb 18, 2017; 8(2): 178-186
Published online Feb 18, 2017. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v8.i2.178
Internet and social media usage of orthopaedic patients: A questionnaire-based survey
Tahir Mutlu Duymus, Hilmi Karadeniz, Mehmet Akif Çaçan, Baran Kömür, Abdullah Demirtaş, Sinan Zehir, İbrahim Azboy
Tahir Mutlu Duymus, Department of Orthopaedics, Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital, 34668 Istanbul, Turkey
Hilmi Karadeniz, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Bahçelievler Medikal Park Hospital, 34160 Istanbul, Turkey
Mehmet Akif Çaçan, Department of Orthopaedics, Bitlis State Hospital, 13000 Bitlis, Turkey
Baran Kömür, Department of Orthopaedics, Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Training and Research Hospital, 34330 Istanbul, Turkey
Abdullah Demirtaş, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Göztepe Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul Medeniyet University, 34320 Istanbul, Turkey
Sinan Zehir, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Hitit University Faculty of Medicine, 19200 Çorum, Turkey
İbrahim Azboy, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, 21000 Diyarbakır, Turkey
Author contributions: All authors contributed to this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest.
Data sharing statement: No further data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Tahir Mutlu Duymus, MD, Department of Orthopaedics, Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital, Tıbbiye Cad. No: 23, 34668 Istanbul, Turkey. dr.tahirmutlu@gmail.com
Telephone: +90-532-3542534 Fax: +90-216-3360565
Received: July 21, 2016
Peer-review started: July 26, 2016
First decision: October 21, 2016
Revised: October 23, 2016
Accepted: November 16, 2016
Article in press: November 18, 2016
Published online: February 18, 2017
Processing time: 209 Days and 7 Hours
Abstract
AIM

To evaluate social media usage of orthopaedic patients to search for solutions to their health problems.

METHODS

The study data were collected using face-to-face questionnaire with randomly selected 1890 patients aged over 18 years who had been admitted to the orthopaedic clinics in different cities and provinces across Turkey. The questionnaire consists of a total of 16 questions pertaining to internet and social media usage and demographics of patients, patients’ choice of institution for treatment, patient complaints on admission, online hospital and physician ratings, communication between the patient and the physician and its effects.

RESULTS

It was found that 34.2% (n = 647) of the participants consulted with an orthopaedist using the internet and 48.7% (n = 315) of them preferred websites that allow users to ask questions to a physician. Of all question-askers, 48.5% (n = 314) reported having found the answers helpful. Based on the educational level of the participants, there was a highly significant difference between the rates of asking questions to an orthopaedist using the internet (P = 0.001). The rate of question-asking was significantly lower in patients with an elementary education than that in those with secondary, high school and undergraduate education (P = 0.001) The rate of reporting that the answers given was helpful was significantly higher in participants with an undergraduate degree compared to those who were illiterate, those with primary, elementary or high school education (P = 0.001). It was also found that the usage of the internet for health problems was higher among managers-qualified participants than unemployed-housewives, officers, workers-intermediate staff (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

We concluded that patients have been increasingly using the internet and social media to select a specific physician or to seek solution to their health problems in an effective way. Even though the internet and social media offer beneficial effects for physicians or patients, there is still much obscurity regarding their harms and further studies are warranted for necessary arrangements to be made.

Keywords: Patient; Internet; Orthopedist; Social media; Communication

Core tip: There is an ongoing increase in the use of social media and internet for health information. Patients can share their health-related experiences or issues online via social media and discussion forums or can consult with experienced physicians. Despite benefits and advantages of social media for patient-physician relationship, legal liability and possible harms and risks of the shared information and communication should be born in mind.