The impact of social media health information on general practice consultations in Australia: A cross-sectional study of general practitioners

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The impact of health information from social media on general practice consultations remains largely unknown. This study investigates general practitioner (GP) management of such encounters. METHOD: This study comprised a cross-sectional survey of Australian GPs. Descriptive statistics and inferential analyses were used. RESULTS: Of 1889 GP respondents, 59.2% reported patients raise health information from social media in consultations weekly, most commonly regarding medication (72.0%) and diagnoses (56.5%). Most GPs (60.1%) stated that such requests are rarely/never supported by scientific evidence, and 76.0% rarely/never fulfill them. Despite this, 45.5% reported social media having no effect on the doctor-patient relationship. Younger GPs were more likely than older GPs to report social media interactions and negative effects. DISCUSSION: GPs encounter social media health information and generally appear to be managing patient requests. As the use of social media for health information continues to evolve, further GP research and support is needed.