title: Do pharmacists use social media for patient care?
abstract: Background Social media are frequently used by consumers and healthcare professionals. However, it is not clear how pharmacists use social media as part of their daily professional practice. Objective This study investigated the role social media play in pharmacy practice, particularly in patient care and how pharmacists interact online with patients and laypeople. Setting Face-to-face, telephone, or Skype interviews with practising pharmacists (n = 31) from nine countries. Method In-depth semi-structured interviews; audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed. Main outcome measure Two themes related to the use of social media for patient care: social media and pharmacy practice, and pharmacists' online interactions with customers and the public. Results Most participants were community pharmacists. They did not provide individualized services to consumers via social media, despite most of them working in a pharmacy with a Facebook page. No participant "friended" consumers on Facebook as it was perceived to blur the boundary between professional and personal relationships. However, they occasionally provided advice and general health information on social media to friends and followers, and more commonly corrected misleading health information spread on Facebook. Short YouTube videos were used to support patient counselling in community pharmacy. Conclusions Participants recognized the potential social media has for health. However, its use to support patient care and deliver pharmacy services was very incipient. Pharmacists as medicine experts are well equipped to contribute to improvements in social media medicines-related information, learn from consumers' online activities, and design new ways of delivering care to communities and individuals.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy and Bank Building A15, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.|Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, State University of Ponta Grossa, Ponta Grossa, Parana, 84.030-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Arcelio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benetoli
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy and Bank Building A15, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Timothy F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Charité University Medicine Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 115, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy and Bank Building A15, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Betty
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chaar
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy and Bank Building A15, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia. parisa.aslani@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Parisa
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7976-8236
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aslani
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D005791:Patient Care / Q000379:methods*; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000523:psychology*; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D061108:Social Media
keywords: Facebook; Patient care; Pharmacists; Pharmacy; Social media; YouTube