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. 2021 Jul 15;8(3):e27528. doi: 10.2196/27528

Table 3.

Differences in categorical variables across categories of age groups.

Survey questions 18-25 years (n=154), n (%) 26-35 years (n=171), n (%) 36-45 years (n=133), n (%) 46-55 years (n=104), n (%) 56-89 years (n=111), n (%) P valuea
Q8. Have you ever followed a professional (not personal) social media account of an independent physician or medical practice? <.001

Yes 77 (50) 98 (57.3) 76 (57.1) 52 (50) 23 (20.7)

No 43 (27.9) 52 (30.4) 41 (30.8) 44 (42.3) 81 (73)

No, but I would like to if that was an option 34 (22.1) 21 (12.3) 16 (12) 8 (7.7) 7 (6.3)
Q10. Would you find it beneficial from a patient’s perspective for your doctor to have an updated, public LinkedIn account that would allow you to have more access to his or her professional history, achievements, and education? <.001

Yes, this would help me develop confidence in my physician and add credibility to the guidance he or she gives me 71 (46.1) 86 (50.3) 62 (46.6) 44 (42.3) 44 (39.6)

Yes, but probably would not check it anyway 68 (44.2) 46 (26.9) 40 (30.1) 28 (26.9) 25 (22.5)

No, I do not think that would be useful or beneficial 15 (9.7) 39 (22.8) 31 (23.3) 32 (30.8) 42 (37.8)
Q11. As a patient would you be inclined to follow and use a social media page (Instagram, Facebook, etc) to contact your nurse or doctor directly to get medical questions answered, schedule appointments, and get updates? Would this be more convenient than using a conventional web page? .01

Absolutely, this would be convenient 58 (37.7) 62 (36.3) 52 (39.1) 34 (32.7) 27 (24.3)

I would follow the social media account but probably never take advantage 40 (25.9) 42 (24.5) 22 (16.5) 24 (23.1) 18 (16.2)

I would not be interested in the social media account and would just use a regular website for the information I need 56 (36.3) 67 (39.2) 59 (44.4) 46 (44.2) 66 (59.5)
Q12. Would you be more likely to schedule critical screening tests such as mammograms or colonoscopies if you saw an educational post on social media explaining the importance of them and providing a convenient link that would allow you to directly schedule an appointment? <.001

Yes, this would help me remember to get important preventive testing 86 (55.9) 90 (52.6) 64 (48.1) 48 (46.2) 27 (24.3)

This would be beneficial and educational, but I probably would not be inclined to schedule an appointment through the post 51 (33.1) 49 (28.7) 36 (27.1) 33 (31.7) 37 (33.3)

If I saw the post, I would not pay much attention to it 10 (6.5) 16 (9.4) 16 (12) 4 (3.8) 17 (15.3)

This would not benefit me 7 (4.5) 16 (9.4) 17 (12.8) 19 (18.3) 30 (27)

aAll the P values are obtained from the Pearson chi-square test.