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. 2015 Oct 26;17(10):e242.
doi: 10.2196/jmir.4763.

Translating Evidence Into Practice via Social Media: A Mixed-Methods Study

Stephen Maloney  1 , Jacqueline Tunnecliff, Prue Morgan, Jamie E Gaida, Lyn Clearihan, Sivalal Sadasivan, David Davies, Shankar Ganesh, Patitapaban Mohanty, John Weiner, John Reynolds, Dragan Ilic
Affiliations

Translating Evidence Into Practice via Social Media: A Mixed-Methods Study

Stephen Maloney et al. J Med Internet Res. .

Abstract

Background: Approximately 80% of research evidence relevant to clinical practice never reaches the clinicians delivering patient care. A key barrier for the translation of evidence into practice is the limited time and skills clinicians have to find and appraise emerging evidence. Social media may provide a bridge between health researchers and health service providers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of social media as an educational medium to effectively translate emerging research evidence into clinical practice.

Methods: The study used a mixed-methods approach. Evidence-based practice points were delivered via social media platforms. The primary outcomes of attitude, knowledge, and behavior change were assessed using a preintervention/postintervention evaluation, with qualitative data gathered to contextualize the findings.

Results: Data were obtained from 317 clinicians from multiple health disciplines, predominantly from the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, India, and Malaysia. The participants reported an overall improvement in attitudes toward social media for professional development (P<.001). The knowledge evaluation demonstrated a significant increase in knowledge after the training (P<.001). The majority of respondents (136/194, 70.1%) indicated that the education they had received via social media had changed the way they practice, or intended to practice. Similarly, a large proportion of respondents (135/193, 69.9%) indicated that the education they had received via social media had increased their use of research evidence within their clinical practice.

Conclusions: Social media may be an effective educational medium for improving knowledge of health professionals, fostering their use of research evidence, and changing their clinical behaviors by translating new research evidence into clinical practice.

Keywords: e-learning; evidence-based practice; medical informatics; social media.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Screenshot of a practice point delivered via Twitter.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Screenshot of a practice point delivered via Facebook.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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