PERCEPTION, AWARENESS AND BEHAVIOR TOWARD SOCIAL NETWORKS USE IN PHARMACY SERVICES AMONG HOSPITAL PHARMACISTS UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE UPPER NORTH OF THAILAND
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/tbps.2018.18Keywords:
social networks, pharmacy services, behavior in social networks usageAbstract
The purpose of this research was to determine perception, awareness and behavior toward social network usage within pharmacy services among hospital pharmacists under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Health in 8 upper Northern provinces of Thailand, including Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Nan, Phayao, Phrae, Lampang, Lamphun and Mae Hong Son. A quota sample selection was used in this study. Data were collected from mailed questionnaires with 355 (75.85%) responses in total. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 17.0. Descriptive statistics were presented as percentage, frequency, mean and standard deviation. The results showed that the majority of participants were female (78.60 %) with an average age of 36.18 ± 6.58 years. Most participants worked in community hospitals (57.70 %) and were responsible for outpatient pharmacy services (52.70 %). Smart phones were the most frequently used devices in order to connect to social networks (83.70 %) and the Line application was the most frequently used app within the pharmacy services (47.90 %). Most participants never shared information with others without prior permission (80.00 %) and never posted messages or patients’ pictures on social networks (69.60 %). Some pharmacists who posted messages or patients’ pictures did not receive any feedback (17.70 %) and some received positive feedback (13.80 %). About half of the participants sometimes checked information before sharing it with others (50.40 %). Most hospitals did not have policies for social network usage (50.40 %) and did not have administrators for social network groups (39.40 %). Participants had a high level of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and awareness of social network usage, with results of 3.79 ± 0.31, 3.90 ± 0.42 and 3.89 ± 0.31 respectively, based on a full score of 5. It is suggested that The Pharmacy Council of Thailand should publish social network use guidelines for pharmacists so that they would be able to use social networks effectively with maximum benefit and safety.
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