Social Media in Pediatric Surgery: Patient Perceptions and Utilization.

Introduction: Social media is fast becoming the preferred source of information for many individuals. There is no information on the utilization of social media by patients or parents in the field of pediatric surgery. The aim of this study is to first identify parents' utilization of social media as a source of information in pediatric surgery. Secondly, we sought to identify the patient family perception towards the role of the pediatric surgeon on social media.

Methods: A voluntary electronic survey was designed to assess participants' usage of social media platforms. We included parents of children with ages between 0 and 14 years presenting to our outpatient clinics. Data on demographics, social media usage among parents, and their attitude toward pediatric surgery in social media was collected.

Results: 227 responses were obtained. Half of our respondents were female and the rest were male, 114 (50.2%) and 113 (49.8%) respectively. The majority of respondents, 190 (83.4%) were millennials between the ages of 25-44 years. 205 of the respondents (90.3%) used multiple social media platforms. Half of the respondents 115 (50.7%) have used social media to search for information pertaining to their child's medical condition and 192 (85.58%) would like pediatric surgeons to be active on social media platforms.

Conclusion: Social media plays a major role in healthcare. This study has clearly identified that parents are going to social media for information on their child's surgical condition. Pediatric surgeons should consider establishing an online presence to educate and inform patients and parents.

Level Of Evidence: IV.