Use of social media and professional attitude and beliefs of medical students and interns: Should social media use be part of professional assessment?

An essential aspect of becoming a physician is learning and incorporating high standards of medical professionalism. The progressive rise of social media platforms has brought challenges to medical programs. This study aimed to examine medical students' and interns' use of social media, compare the attitudes and beliefs toward social media, and analyze potential exposure to unprofessional behaviors. This was a cross-sectional study of 275 medical students from King Saud University and 200 interns employed by King Khalid University Hospital, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, and King Saud Medical City. A validated questionnaire was used to explore this topic. The questionnaire included 3 parts to examine the participants' demographics, use of social media, attitudes, and beliefs regarding the use of social media. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS (PC, 21.0 version, IBM, New York) statistical software. Our Results indicated: Nearly all participants (99.4%) used social media, with Twitter (now X) being the most used platform, followed by Snapchat and Instagram. YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn were used less frequently by students and interns. Fourteen students (5.1%) and 25 interns (12.5%) had either patients or members of patients' families listed as friends on social media platforms. Thirty-six (13.8%) students and 38 (19.0%) interns believed they had information on their social media accounts that would seem inappropriate if disclosed to the medical community. Students and interns were unaware of any guidelines regarding the use of social media within hospitals or universities. No significant difference was found between medical students and interns regarding their overall beliefs about the use of social media. The use of social networking during undergraduate training and internships is rising, and a significant proportion of participants do not have private accounts and share inappropriate content. These findings, coupled with a lack of knowledge of hospital and university policies regarding social media use, necessitate clear instructions and guidance to separate personal matters from professional attitudes. The study emphasizes that the use of social media by medical students and interns could be part of professional assessment, as it may reveal behaviors and attitudes that are typically undisclosed in clinical encounters.