Table 5.
Student-patient communication and interaction on social media (SM)
| All students n (%) | Medical n (%) | Dental n (%) | χ2, df, P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| When I become a doctor, I’ll use the SM for communication with patients | ||||
| Yes |
181 (25.9) |
67 (16.3) |
114 (39.7) |
81.686, 2, <0.001 |
| No |
249 (35.7) |
198 (48.2) |
51 (17.8) |
|
| Can’t decide |
268 (38.4) |
146 (35.5) |
122 (42.5) |
|
| How would you react if a patient sends you a friend request/social media tracking? | ||||
| I will accept the request |
169 (24.2) |
50 (12.2) |
119 (41.5) |
87.344, 4, <0.001 |
| I will decline the request without any further action on my part |
97 (13.9) |
76 (18.5) |
21 (7.3) |
|
| I will decline the request and send a personal message giving the reason for declining |
27 (3.9) |
17 (4.1) |
10 (3.5) |
|
| I will decline the request and discuss my decision with the patient in person during their next visit |
137 (19.6) |
99 (24.1) |
38 (13.2) |
|
| I will not do anything (either accept or decline the request) |
268 (38.4) |
169 (41.1) |
99 (34.5) |
|
| I accepted a patient’s friendship request | ||||
| Yes |
104 (14.9) |
23 (5.6) |
81 (28.2) |
68.235, 1, <0.001 |
| No |
594 (85.1) |
388 (94.4) |
206 (71.8) |
|
| I sent a friend-request to a patient | ||||
| Yes |
20 (2.9) |
5 (1.2) |
15 (5.2) |
0.002* |
| No | 678 (97.1) | 406 (98.8) | 272 (94.8) | |
*Fisher exact test.