Patient Use of Social Media - version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Analysis of patient use of Social Media in three aspects of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
IRAS ID
171403
Contact name
Tom Walker
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 4 months, 1 days
Research summary
The use of social media and the internet in dentistry is developing rapidly. However there are still uncertainties as to how patients are using these to cope with and discuss various dental conditions on line. This study will assess the current usage of social media by patients in the oral and maxillofacial surgery department of Bristol Dental Hospital. We aim to find out what patients are posting and searching for related to their condition on social media, and how they are accessing these sites.
A paper based, non incentivised questionnaire will be delivered to patients who are attending for assessment for wisdom tooth extraction and facial deformity surgery. Parents of children attending for assessment with regards cleft lip and palate will also be delivered the questionnaire. The questionnaire will take no longer than ten minutes to complete and participation is voluntary. The decision to not participate will have no effect on treatment received at the hospital. The questionnaire consists of a series of simple questions about internet use and should not provoke any distress to the patient however clinicians will be available should the participant have any further questions.
In addition, a review and analysis of common "hashtags" used on social media referencing the above conditions will be undertaken to learn about the characteristics of posts of people using social media. All information collected will be that which is publically available, it will be anonymised and statistical analysis will be used to decipher any patterns of behaviour on these sites.
This study has no funding and is predominantly for undergraduate educational purposes. We aim to complete the study in under one year. The results of the study will be distributed internally at the University of Bristol Dental Hospital.REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0223
Date of REC Opinion
11 May 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion