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Alfaris E, Alhazzani Y, Alkhenizan A, Irfan F, Almoneef N, Alyousefi N, Alfaris H, Alodhaibi K, Ahmed AMA. Assessing the Validity of Health Messages Used by the Saudi Public in WhatsApp. Patient Prefer Adherence 2023; 17:67-73. [PMID: 36632071 PMCID: PMC9829413 DOI: 10.2147/ppa.s397661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE WhatsApp is the most frequently used social media platform in Saudi Arabia. Inaccurate information could negatively impact public health. The number of studies worldwide investigating health-related misinformation in social media increased steadily, with limited data from Arabic-speaking communities. This study aimed to estimate the validity and safety of Arabic-language health information messages circulated on WhatsApp and identify the different categories of these messages based on their credibility. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS A descriptive, analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from February to April 2021. A total of 374 students were randomly selected from the common first preparatory year college at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and participated by sharing up to three health-related WhatsApp messages per student that they or their relatives had recently read. Four board-certified physicians reviewed and classified the messages based on their credibility and sources. RESULTS 282 students provided 326 messages (1.2 messages per student). Most messages (86%) had either invalid or inaccurate content, and 83.7% came from unknown sources. Only 26 messages (8%) of the total were written by trusted scientific sources. Most of the messages from unknown sources or unqualified persons were either invalid or invalid, with potential health risks for the public, and the difference from trusted sources was statistically significant. CONCLUSION This study showed a high percentage of inaccurate and invalid health-related messages on WhatsApp. Invalid messages with potential health risks were authored mostly by unknown sources or unqualified persons. Most health messages written by trusted authorities and qualified persons were valid. Trusted scientific authorities should thus be more active in public education on social media platforms. They should advise their communities on how to discern the validity of such messages. More efforts are needed to guide patients from where to obtain accurate and valid health information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiad Alfaris
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: Eiad Alfaris, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, Department of Family and Community Medicine (34), College of Medicine, King Saud University, PO Box 2925, Riyadh, 11461, Saudi Arabia, Email ;
| | - Yasser Alhazzani
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah Alkhenizan
- King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Family Medicine and Polyclinics, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Farhana Irfan
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Naif Almoneef
- King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Family Medicine and Polyclinics, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nada Alyousefi
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Huda Alfaris
- Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Department of Internal Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khitam Alodhaibi
- King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Family Medicine and Polyclinics, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah M A Ahmed
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Alfaris E, Irfan F, Alosaimi FD, Shaffi Ahamed S, Ponnamperuma G, Ahmed AMA, Almousa H, Almotairi N, AlWahibi T, AlQuaeefli M, AlFwzan F, Alomem T, Al-Eraky MM. Does professionalism change with different sociodemographic variables? A survey of Arab medical residents. Ann Med 2022; 54:2191-2203. [PMID: 35989634 PMCID: PMC9397477 DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2022.2105390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medical professionalism reflects the commitment of physicians to their patients, society, themselves, and the profession. The study examined residents' attitudes towards professionalism and how these attitudes vary among the different demographic groups, namely gender, specialty, and year of residency. METHODS A proportionate random sampling strategy was used to select the study sample. Medical residents from six specialties at a large tertiary care teaching facility were invited to participate in an online survey. The survey used the modified Learners Attitude of Medical Professionalism Scale (LAMPS), which consists of five domains: respect, excellence, altruism, duty/accountability, and integrity. Chi-square, Student t-test, one-way ANOVA, factorial ANOVA, and post hoc analysis were used to examine the attitudinal differences towards professionalism among the different demographic factors. RESULTS The overall response rate was 82.7%. Overall, the residents' self-reported attitudes towards professionalism was positive. The highest score was for the "respect" domain (4.61), and the lowest was for "altruism" (3.67). No significant association was found between the mean scores and the three studied variables, namely, gender, specialty (surgical/nonsurgical), and level (senior/junior). CONCLUSIONS No significant differences were observed in the overall attitude towards professionalism among the residents regarding their year of residency, gender, and specialty. The low altruism score and absence of improvement of the total score regarding the residents' increasing experience in the profession are concerns that need remedial action. Therefore, we suggest that future research look for possible explanations by using multi-institutional surveys that explore not only the residents' attitudes, but also the trainers' attitudes and practice, work situations, the hidden curriculum, and culture. Key messagesAttitudes towards professionalism among different demographic groups of residents do not show similar variations as has been reported in the literature, albeit in different sociocultural contexts.The low altruism score and absence of improvement of the total score as the residents gained more experience in the profession are concerns that need remedial action.A longitudinal study involving more than one institution for both residents and their faculty members to compare faculty scores with those of residents, while controlling for specialty and gender, may help elucidate the factors affecting attitudes towards professionalism and suggest possible means of addressing unfavourable attitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiad Alfaris
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Farhana Irfan
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fahad D Alosaimi
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shaik Shaffi Ahamed
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Gominda Ponnamperuma
- Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Abdullah M A Ahmed
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hisham Almousa
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Naif Almotairi
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Tamim AlWahibi
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Faisal AlFwzan
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Tareq Alomem
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed M Al-Eraky
- Department of Medical Education, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
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