Determining the usage of social media for medical information by the medical and dental students in northern Jordan

Abstract

Objectives: Using social media to gain medical and dental information may have significant effects on the students' academic performance and career development. Therefore, we assessed the usage of social media for medical information among medical and dental students.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we administered a self-reported questionnaire to medical and dental students at the Jordan University of Science and Technology.

Results: A total of 856 students completed the questionnaire; two-thirds of them were medical students. Most students did not consider social media as a trusted source for medical information. In contrast, the source for treatment decisions for the majority (96.6%) was speciality physicians and not the management plans posted on social media. Females used more social media applications (p = .05) and spent more time on social media (p = .001) than males. The amount of educational information gained was directly associated with time spent on social media (p < .001). Those who completed more years of their medical or dental education were less likely to use social media for medical information and were more likely to follow medical online sites or forums.

Conclusions: This study showed general reluctance among medical and dental students to use social media for medical information. This could be explained by cultural beliefs that social media is mainly for socialisation and entertainment. However, further research is needed to estimate the effects of social media usage on academic performance. This will help us decide whether to encourage students to use social media for education.

Keywords: Dental; Inquiry; Jordan; Medical; Social media.