Health information on social media. Perceptions, attitudes, and practices of patients and their companions

Objectives: To assess social media and search engines used to find health information in Saudi patients and their companions and to describe their perceptions, attitudes, and practices. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 374 patients and their companions at a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The data were collected between January and March 2018 using a self-administrated questionnaire adopted from the literature and developed in Arabic. The questionnaire was validated and modified by the researchers to fulfill the purpose of this study. The questionnaire contains 4 sections (25 questions), divided into a demographic section and the 3 sections assessing perceptions, attitudes, and practices. Results: Eighty-five percent sought health information using social media; of whom 293 (78.3%) used WhatsApp, 237 (63.4%) used YouTube, and 46 (12.3%) used Facebook. Furthermore, 72% searched information for themselves and 52% for a family member. Approximately 28% of participants had used social media for medical consultations. The reliability of health information on social media was met for 51% of participants, and 81.4% claimed that the health information obtained was knowledgeable. However, only 29% share their personal health experience with the public on social media. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the majority of the participants used social media platforms to find information related to their health conditions, while approximately one third received direct medical consultations online. Public awareness to use reputable sources for health information is needed.