Social Media Use Among Transplant Professionals in Europe: a Cross-Sectional Study From the European Society of Organ Transplantation

Abstract

Objectives: Social media are Internet-based tools to gather and communicate information. Our aim was to survey transplant professionals in their attitude toward social media, to allow a better understanding of these technologies and their impact on health communication.

Materials and methods: An online survey was distributed through the European Society for Organ Transplantation's social media platforms. Participation was voluntary and confidential. Participants were health care professionals working in organ transplant fields and actively responding to the link shared through the European Society for Organ Transplantation's social media platforms.

Results: In total, 190 health care professionals answered the survey: 70 (37%) were 35 to 44 years old, 105 (55%) were male, and 154 (81%) were white. The main training background was transplant nephrology (n = 42; 22%), with 115 participants (61%) working in academic centers. More than half (n = 102; 54%) used social media multiple times per day, utilizing Twitter or Facebook to connect with patients in equal amounts (n = 65; 34%) or WhatsApp (n = 53; 28%). To communicate about non-work-related information, most respondents (n = 124; 65%) chose WhatsApp, with 98 (52%) connecting through Facebook and Instagram (n = 54; 28%). Of total participants, 77 (41%) actively used Web-based technologies for educational purposes. Respondents indicated that the main described risks associated with social media were breach of anonymity and confidentiality (n = 159; 84%), lack of authenticity (n = 77; 41%), lack of standard informed consent (n = 77; 41%), and organ trafficking (n = 71; 37%).

Conclusions: Transplant health care professionals recognize the role of social media platforms in promoting organ donation, sharing information, and providing knowledge for trainees or for research purposes. Future studies are needed to investigate how health care institutions and professional organizations could prevent risks related to social media use by professionals.