Describing the use of social media as a point-of-care tool in facility-based emergency care in Africa
| dc.contributor.advisor | Saunders, Colleen | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Wallis, Lee A | |
| dc.contributor.author | Abdelrahman, Abdelmonim | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-09-08T08:18:46Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-09-08T08:18:46Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2023-09-08T08:18:23Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background Despite privacy and legal concerns, social media is used to provide real-time clinical support to emergency care providers. It can be particularly beneficial for those in Africa, who might lack adequate training or access to information. This PhD aimed to describe the use of social media as a point-of-care telemedicine tool in facility-based emergency care in Africa, to further inform its use. Methods A scoping review was conducted to map available literature on use, benefits, and risks associated with social media as a point-of-care platform. A mixed methods approach was then taken using a cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews to obtain a comprehensive description of use of social media as a point-of-care tool in facility-based emergency care in Africa. Results The scoping review identified 13 publications describing use of social media as a point-of-care tool in emergency medical settings. No studies were located in low-income countries. All studies evaluated WhatsApp use for real-time consultations, and those that assessed reliability found it to be highly reliable for consultations. A total of 70 emergency care providers in African facilities responded to the survey; nearly all worked in low- or lower-middle-income countries. Responses showed that clinicians use social media multiple times each day, primarily to share and receive advice. The majority felt social media positively impacts patient and provider experiences and improves speed and safety. Finally, eight African emergency care providers were interviewed to gain an in-depth understanding of how social media use impacts emergency care. All participants noted routine use for a range of professional purposes, including consultations, administrative tasks, and education. Concerns were mentioned by all participants, including legality, privacy, and lack of employer regulations. Conclusions This dissertation provides insight into social media use of African emergency care physicians, showing that social media use in this group is ubiquitous. Most clinicians use social media multiple times each day for a range of point-of-care purposes, and many feel social media is positively impacting both the patient and provider experiences. Post-doctoral work will focus on developing a framework to guide use of social media in facility-based emergency care in the African setting. | |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | Abdelrahman, A. (2023). <i>Describing the use of social media as a point-of-care tool in facility-based emergency care in Africa</i>. (). ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Division of Emergency Medicine. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38457 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | Abdelrahman, Abdelmonim. <i>"Describing the use of social media as a point-of-care tool in facility-based emergency care in Africa."</i> ., ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Division of Emergency Medicine, 2023. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38457 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | Abdelrahman, A. 2023. Describing the use of social media as a point-of-care tool in facility-based emergency care in Africa. . ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Division of Emergency Medicine. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38457 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Doctoral Thesis AU - Abdelrahman, Abdelmonim AB - Background Despite privacy and legal concerns, social media is used to provide real-time clinical support to emergency care providers. It can be particularly beneficial for those in Africa, who might lack adequate training or access to information. This PhD aimed to describe the use of social media as a point-of-care telemedicine tool in facility-based emergency care in Africa, to further inform its use. Methods A scoping review was conducted to map available literature on use, benefits, and risks associated with social media as a point-of-care platform. A mixed methods approach was then taken using a cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews to obtain a comprehensive description of use of social media as a point-of-care tool in facility-based emergency care in Africa. Results The scoping review identified 13 publications describing use of social media as a point-of-care tool in emergency medical settings. No studies were located in low-income countries. All studies evaluated WhatsApp use for real-time consultations, and those that assessed reliability found it to be highly reliable for consultations. A total of 70 emergency care providers in African facilities responded to the survey; nearly all worked in low- or lower-middle-income countries. Responses showed that clinicians use social media multiple times each day, primarily to share and receive advice. The majority felt social media positively impacts patient and provider experiences and improves speed and safety. Finally, eight African emergency care providers were interviewed to gain an in-depth understanding of how social media use impacts emergency care. All participants noted routine use for a range of professional purposes, including consultations, administrative tasks, and education. Concerns were mentioned by all participants, including legality, privacy, and lack of employer regulations. Conclusions This dissertation provides insight into social media use of African emergency care physicians, showing that social media use in this group is ubiquitous. Most clinicians use social media multiple times each day for a range of point-of-care purposes, and many feel social media is positively impacting both the patient and provider experiences. Post-doctoral work will focus on developing a framework to guide use of social media in facility-based emergency care in the African setting. DA - 2023_ DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Emergency Medicine LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PY - 2023 T1 - Describing the use of social media as a point-of-care tool in facility-based emergency care in Africa TI - Describing the use of social media as a point-of-care tool in facility-based emergency care in Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38457 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38457 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | Abdelrahman A. Describing the use of social media as a point-of-care tool in facility-based emergency care in Africa. []. ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Division of Emergency Medicine, 2023 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38457 | en_ZA |
| dc.language.rfc3066 | eng | |
| dc.publisher.department | Division of Emergency Medicine | |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences | |
| dc.subject | Emergency Medicine | |
| dc.title | Describing the use of social media as a point-of-care tool in facility-based emergency care in Africa | |
| dc.type | Doctoral Thesis | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | Doctoral | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | PhD |