Table 2 Usage characteristics between primary care physicians (PCPs) and medical specialists
From: WhatsApp Tele-Medicine – usage patterns and physicians views on the platform
Characteristic | PCPs (n = 153) N (%) | Medical Specialists (n = 48) N (%) | P- value | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lowa | Medium | High | Low | Medium | High | |||||
Facebook use | ||||||||||
Personal | 63 (41.2) | 78 (51) | 12 (7.8) | 25 (52.1) | 17 (35.4) | 6 (12.5) | 0.377 | |||
Professional | 145 (94.8) | 8 (5.2) | 0 (0) | 42 (87.5) | 4 (8.3) | 2 (4.2) | 0.065 | |||
WhatsApp use | ||||||||||
Personal | 1 (0.7) | 27 (17.6) | 125 (81.7) | 0 (0) | 9 (18.8) | 39 (81.2) | 0.923 | |||
Professional | 20 (13.1) | 45 (29.4) | 88 (57.5) | 7 (14.5) | 14 (29.2) | 27 (56.3) | 0.986 | |||
Medical app use (Medscape, Uptodate, etc.) | ||||||||||
Achieving diagnosis | 69 (45.1) | 63 (41.2) | 21 (13.7) | 30 (62.5) | 16 (33.3) | 2 (4.2) | .05 | |||
Workup selection | 70 (45.8) | 65 (42.5) | 18 (11.8) | 36 (75) | 10 (20.8) | 2 (4.2) | < 0.001 | |||
Treatment selection | 34 (22.2) | 90 (58.8) | 29 (19) | 25 (52.1) | 19 (39.6) | 4 (8.3) | .001 | |||
Staying current with medical knowledge | 88 (57.5) | 52 (34) | 13 (8.5) | 26 (54.2) | 18 (37.5) | 4 (8.3) | 0.992 | |||
Consulting colleagues using WhatsApp | ||||||||||
Achieving diagnosis | 68 (44.4) | 70 (45.8) | 15 (9.8) | 29 (60.4) | 15 (31.3) | 4 (8.3) | 0.242 | |||
Workup selection | 90 (58.8) | 52 (34) | 11 (7.2) | 37 (77.0) | 8 (16.7) | 6 (6.3) | 0.314 | |||
Treatment selection | 83 (54.2) | 56 (36.6) | 14 (9.2) | 30 (62.5) | 16 (33.3) | 2 (4.2) | 0.434 | |||
Staying current with medical knowledge | 111 (72.5) | 33 (21.6) | 9 (5.9) | 35 (72.9) | 10 (20.8) | 3 (6.3) | 0.110 | |||
Best tool for consultationsb | ||||||||||
Consulting colleagues using WhatsApp | 55 (35.9) | 10 (20.8) | 0.051 | |||||||
Consulting specialists using WhatsApp | 84 (54.9) | 24 (50) | 0.552 | |||||||
Consulting specialists via a phone call | 48 (31.4) | 25 (52.1) | .009 | |||||||
Online clinical resources | 85 (55.6) | 10 (20.8) | < 0.001 | |||||||
In-person appointment with specialist | 23 (15) | 17 (35.4) | 0.002 | |||||||