0

Bussma Bugis

Saudi Electronic University, KSA

Title: Use of social media in delivering rehabilitation services by healthcare professionals at a rehabilitation healthcare city in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: The growing popularity of social media has been welcomed by medical professionals. With an increase in the number of healthcare providers addressing healthcare issues by using social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram, as well as communicating and educating patients on public health, this new technology has a substantial impact on improving the overall public health. 
Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to examine the challenges and benefits of using social media in delivering rehabilitation healthcare services from the perspective of healthcare workers at a private institution in a rehabilitation healthcare city in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among rehabilitation department staff working at a selected rehabilitation healthcare city in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An online web-based questionnaire was developed based on previous studies. The survey was distributed to the employees of the rehabilitation department via their work email addresses. 
Results: The study population was 108 healthcare providers. Overall, 77.78% of participants had used social media for over five years. Participants reported using social media for numerous purposes. The majority (35.19%) used it for educational purposes, 30.56% used it for networking, and others used it for other things, such as communication with patients, online consultations, and job hunting. Furthermore, 49.07% of participants were already using social media to deliver rehabilitation services.
Conclusion: The study found that most healthcare providers agreed on the benefits of utilizing social media in the healthcare sector. Most of the benefits were expanding the knowledge of both healthcare workers and patients, easier communication with patients, and a cost-effective means of communication. However, some of the concerns that were raised by healthcare providers were regarding patients’ privacy and confidentiality, the dissemination of false or misleading information, and legal and ethical considerations.

Biography

Bussma A Bugis is an Associate Professor of Health Organizations at the Saudi Electronic University (SEU). She is also the Vice Dean for Educational Affairs at the College of Health Sciences (CHS) at SEU. Dr. Bugis received her Doctor of Public Health in Health Organizations from the University of Texas School of Public Health in 2012. Her research interests include health informatics, patient safety, healthcare management, healthcare utilizations, and health communication. She has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles in international journals. Dr. Bugis is a leading expert in healthcare management in Saudi Arabia. She is committed to using her skills and knowledge to improve the quality of healthcare in the Kingdom.