Use of Social Media to Source Medical Information Among Parents of Pediatric Otolaryngology Clinic Patients: A Survey Study

Abstract

Objective:

The reach and impact of social media as it pertains to medical information among the parents and guardians of pediatric otolaryngology patients is unknown. This survey-based study investigates the use of social media as a source of medical knowledge in this population.

Methods:

Parents and guardians visiting a pediatric Otolaryngology clinic located at a tertiary care children’s hospital in southern California from September 2022 to May 2023 were approached for study inclusion. Decision tree and logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify patterns of social media usage in association with factors of interest.

Results:

Of the 400 parents included in the study, most were female (80.0%); 49.5% were 30 to 40 years of age, and 18.8% were <30 years old. Most (90.0%) used social media, and 44.5% actively used it to obtain health information related to care for their children. A large proportion of parents (73.0%) were interested in social media content to better understand their child’s condition, particularly the opportunity to view videos and images of a surgery planned for their child (75.0%). About half (50.5%) would permit their child’s doctor to post about their child on social media, and 53.8% stated they would be more inclined to choose a surgeon who uses social media to educate families about their child’s condition.

Conclusion:

Most parents/guardians were interested in and had obtained critical medical information on social media, especially content pertaining to their child’s medical condition(s). Analysis of survey responses identified the social media content most valued by parents/guardians of children undergoing otolaryngological surgery. These findings can be used by pediatric otolaryngologists to better understand their patients’ preferences and improve access to health information for their patients on social media, as well as to grow their practices.