Use of Social Media for Providing Health Care Services by Community Pharmacists in Bangkok

Abstract

Objective: 1. To explore uses of and attitudes toward the use of social media in providing health care service among community pharmacists within Bangkok area and 2. To collect opinions of the pharmacists and demands of the customers in social media uses for the provision of health service from pharmacies. Methods: The study was mixed-method research consisting of quantitative research with the questionnaire survey on the use of social media among community pharmacists and qualitative research by employing an in-depth interview of 2 groups of informants including customers and community pharmacists. Results: Subjects in the study was 674 community pharmacists. Overall response rate of mail and online surveys with the personal visit to follow-up questionnaires was 49.9% (n=336). Two hundred and three community pharmacists (60.4%) used social media with only 67 (33% of those with the use of social media) used social media for providing health care service. The subjects had a high level of positive attitude toward the use of social media for providing health care service with the mean of 3.9 out of 5. The pharmacists practicing less than 10 years in pharmacies showed a higher level of attitude towards social media uses for providing health care than those with more than 10 years of experience did. Female showed a higher level of the attitude than male did. In-depth interview revealed that customers need the use social media for health care provision from community pharmacists, while community pharmacists also shared the same opinion that using social media was useful in providing health care service. Conclusion: Sixty percent of community pharmacists have used social media and 33% of the users employed it for the provision of health care service. Community pharmacists showed a high level of attitude toward it. Both community pharmacists and customers shared the same opinion that social media uses were beneficial leading to a better provision of health care service.