Survey for genetic counselors

For this survey, social media is defined as “a collection of online platforms and tools that people use to share content, profiles, opinions, insights, experiences, perspectives, and media itself, facilitating conversations and interactions online between groups of people.” This includes, but is not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Section 1: This section focuses on your current usage of social media.

  1. Do you use social media?
  2. Yes
  3. No (go to question 14)
  4. How comfortable are you with using social media?
  5. Extremely comfortable
  6. Very comfortable
  7. Somewhat comfortable
  8. Not comfortable at all
  9. How often do you use social media?
  10. ______hours/week
  11. Do you use social media in your personal life?
  12. Yes
  13. No (Go to question 7)
  14. What do you use social media for in your personal life? (Select all that apply)
  15. Keeping in touch with family
  16. Keeping in touch with friends
  17. Keep up to date on brands and/or products that you like
  18. Entertainment information (music/movies/TV/etc)
  19. Sports updates
  20. Health information
  21. Up-to-date news stories
  22. Other (please explain): ______
  23. Do you use social media in your professional life?
  24. Yes
  25. No (Go to question 10)
  26. What type(s) of social media do you use in your professional life? (Select all that apply)
  27. Facebook
  28. Twitter
  29. LinkedIn
  30. Instagram
  31. Pinterest
  32. Other (please explain): ______
  33. How often do you use social media professionally for the following purposes: (Go to question 11 after answering)
  34. Marketing (i.e. announcing new clinics, highlighting staff achievements, etc):
  35. Not at all
  36. Daily
  37. Weekly
  38. Monthly
  39. A few times a year
  40. Informal interactions with patients (i.e. explaining what to expect at an appointment, providing appointment reminders, etc.)
  41. Not at all
  42. Daily
  43. Weekly
  44. Monthly
  45. A few times a year
  46. Formal interactions with patients (i.e. disclosing test results, making referrals to specialists or support groups, etc)
  47. Not at all
  48. Daily
  49. Weekly
  50. Monthly
  51. A few times a year
  52. Professional interactions (i.e. networking with colleagues, keeping up-to-date with professional societies, etc)
  53. Not at all
  54. Daily
  55. Weekly
  56. Monthly
  57. A few times a year
  58. Which social media outlet do you use the most?
  59. Facebook
  60. Twitter
  61. LinkedIn
  62. Instagram
  63. Pinterest
  64. Other (please explain): ______
  65. What do you like most about this social media outlet? ______
  66. What features draw you back to this social media outlet? (select all that apply)
  67. Easy to navigate
  68. Ability to share content with other friends/followers
  69. Majority of my friends also use this social media outlet
  70. Other (please explain): ______
  71. What do you get out of using this social media outlet that keeps you coming back? (select all that apply)
  72. Keeping up-to-date on information that interest me (news, sports, etc)
  73. Networking with colleagues
  74. Other (please explain): ______(Go to question 15 after answering)
  75. What are your reasons for not using social media? (Select all that apply)
  76. Technologies are too expensive (computer, smartphone, tablet, iPod, etc)
  77. Do not have access to the internet
  78. Time consuming
  79. Concerned about privacy/confidentiality
  80. Don’t want to learn new technology
  81. Don’t see how it will benefit me
  82. No interest
  83. Other (please explain): ______

Section 2: This section focuses on your interest in using social media to interact with patients.

  1. If available, how interested would you be in interacting with genetics patients/the general public on social media, in addition to face-to-face genetics appointments?
  2. Very interested
  3. Somewhat Interested
  4. Indifferent
  5. Not at all interested
  6. In which of the following ways would you like to interact with patients or colleagues on social media? (select all that apply)
  7. Non-medical or non-personal information (i.e. announcing new clinics, highlighting staff achievements, etc)
  8. Informal patient-provider interactions (i.e. receiving appointment reminders, prescription refill reminders, etc.)
  9. Formal patient-provider interactions (i.e. receiving test results, getting referrals to specialists or support groups, etc)
  10. Professional interactions (i.e. networking with colleagues, keeping up-to-date with professional societies, etc)
  11. Other (please explain): ______
  12. For each of the following, please mark how much time you have spent thinking about using social media to interact with patients or colleagues

1= none; 2 = rarely, 3 = some; 4 = very often

  1. Non- medical or non-personal information (i.e. announcing new clinics, highlighting staff achievements, etc) 1 2 3 4
  2. Informal patient-provider interactions (i.e. receiving appointment reminders, prescription refill reminders, etc.) 1 2 3 4
  3. Formal patient-provider interactions (i.e. receiving test results, getting referrals to specialists or support groups, etc) 1 2 3 4
  4. Professional interactions (i.e. networking with colleagues, keeping up-to-date with professional societies, etc) 1 2 3 4
  5. Other (please explain): ______

How strongly do you agree with the following statements:

  1. Social media has the potential for improving provider-patient interactions.
  2. Strongly agree
  3. Agree
  4. Disagree
  5. Strongly disagree
  6. Communication with patients (and the general public) withing social media can be safely accomplished without compromising patient confidentiality.
  7. Strongly agree
  8. Agree
  9. Disagree
  10. Strongly disagree

Section 3: This section focuses on using social media to announce general information about the genetics clinic (i.e. announcing new clinics, highlighting staff achievements, etc) and how helpful or concerned you may be with these types of interactions.

For the following questions, please mark how helpful you find AND how concerned you are about your genetics department using social media in the following ways.

1 = Not helpful or no concern; 2 = slightly helpful or some concern; 3 = very helpful or very concerned; 4 = extremely helpful or extremely concerned.

  1. Introducing new staff

No Value 1234Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234Extremely Concerned

  1. Highlighting staff achievements

No Value 1234Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234Extremely Concerned

  1. Announcing new clinics

No Value 1234Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234Extremely Concerned

  1. Announcing research studies

No Value 1234Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234Extremely Concerned

  1. Promoting recent publications from within the department

No Value 1234Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234Extremely Concerned

  1. Explaining genetic counseling

No Value 1234Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234Extremely Concerned

  1. Explaining what happens at a genetics appointment

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Announcing upcoming community events

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

Section 4: This section focuses on using social media to interact with patients about appointment information, results, and referrals (i.e. providing appointment reminders, prescription refill reminders, etc.) and how helpful of concerned you may be with these types of interactions.

For the following questions, please mark how helpful you find AND how concerned you are about your genetics department using social media in the following ways.

1 = Not helpful or no concern; 2 = slightly helpful or some concern; 3 = very helpful or very concerned; 4 = extremely helpful or extremely concerned.

  1. Appointment reminder

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Prescription refill reminder

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

Formal patient interactions (i.e. disclosing test results, making referrals to specialists or support groups, etc):

  1. Giving a patient his/her test results

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Discussing test results

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Communication with a patient’s family members

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Specialist referrals

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Support group referrals

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Research study recruitment

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

Section 5: This section focuses on using social media to interact with genetics professionals and other healthcare providers (i.e. networking with colleagues, keeping up-to-date with professional societies, etc.) and how helpful of concerned you may be with these types of interactions.

For the following questions, please mark how helpful you find AND how concerned you are about your genetics department using social media in the following ways.

1 = Not helpful or no concern; 2 = slightly helpful or some concern; 3 = very helpful or very concerned; 4 = extremely helpful or extremely concerned.

  1. Keep up-to-date on information on genetic tests and technologies

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Keep up-to-date with professional societies

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Networking with colleagues

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Working with support groups

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Being aware of resources and information available to patients on social media

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Research study recruitment

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Expert opinions for challenging cases or clinical dilemmas

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Announcing seminars

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

  1. Discussing what you learned at a seminar or conference

No Value 1234 Extremely Valuable

No Concerns 1234 Extremely Concerned

Section 6: This section focuses on ethical concerns and barriers regarding the usage of social media for patient-provider interactions.

  1. Do you have any ethical concerns with interacting with patients over social media?

Please mark how concerned you are about your genetics department using social media in the following ways.

1 = no concern; 2 = some concern; 3 = very concerned; 4 = extremely concerned

  1. Keeping patient’s privacy and confidentiality 1234
  2. Reliability of information 1234
  3. Patients will only want to speak with a genetic counselor over social media and not come in for a face-to-face appointment 1 2 3 4
  4. Content on social media sites can be posted by other users and not just genetics professionals 1 2 3 4
  5. With one-to-one counseling over social media, genetic counselors will not be able to read patient’s body language to know if patients understand the information or are confused 1 2 3 4
  6. Other (please explain): ______
  1. Do you currently face any of the following barriers with regard to using social media to interact with patients?
  2. No computer or internet accessYesNo
  3. Institution does not allow social media use YesNo
  4. Institution blocks social media sites YesNo
  5. No time to update social media sites YesNo
  6. Do not have a designated person to run social media sites YesNo
  7. Lack of knowledge on how to use social media in this way YesNo
  8. Do not see the benefit of social media YesNo
  9. Other (please explain): ______
  10. In the past, have you overcome any of the following barriers with regard to using social media to interact with patients?
  11. No computer or internet accessYesNo
  12. Institution does not allow social media use YesNo
  13. Institution blocks social media sites YesNo
  14. No time to update social media sites YesNo
  15. Do not have a designated person to run social media sites YesNo
  16. Lack of knowledge on how to use social media in this way YesNo
  17. Do not see the benefit of social media YesNo
  18. Other (please explain): ______

Section 7: This section focuses on your experiences and views regarding boundaries when using social media.

For the following questions, contact on social media refers to friend/follower requests, messages, wall posts, tweets, etc.

  1. How many times have you contacted a patient on social media?
  2. 0
  3. 1-5
  4. 5-10
  5. 11+
  6. How many times have you been contacted by a patient on social media?
  7. 0
  8. 1-5
  9. 5-10
  10. 11+
  1. How many times have you responded to a patient on social media?
  2. 0
  3. 1-5
  4. 5-10
  5. 11+

Please describe why you did or did not respond to a healthcare provider on social media: ______

  1. Do you have, or have you considered creating, a professional or non-personal social media account (account other than the one you use for friends and family) for patients to access?
  2. Yes – How do you use your professional or non-personal account?

______

  1. No
  1. How appropriate do you think it is to respond if you were contacted by a patient on social media? (Select all that apply)
  2. Always appropriate
  3. Appropriate in some cases, but only to a professional account
  4. Appropriate in some cases, but only to a personal account
  5. Appropriate in some cases, to either account
  6. Never appropriate to either account

Section 8: This section focuses on institutional and departmental social media use and information regarding social media policies that may be in place.

  1. Does your institution or healthcare system have a presence on social media (that you are aware of)?
  2. Yes
  3. No (Go to question 50)
  4. Where on social media does your institution or healthcare system have a presence on social media (that you are aware of)? (Select all that apply)
  5. Facebook
  6. Twitter
  7. LinkedIn
  8. Instagram
  9. Pinterest
  10. Other (please explain): ______
  11. Are you asked to provide information regarding genetics/genetic counseling to your institution’s or healthcare system’s social media account?
  12. Yes (please describe) ______
  13. No
  14. Has your department discussed using social media (that you are aware of)?
  15. Yes
  16. No
  17. Does your institution have a policy regarding social media (that you are aware of)?
  18. Yes (please describe) ______
  19. No
  20. Does your department have a policy regarding social media (that you are aware of)?
  21. Yes (please describe) ______
  22. No
  23. Does your department currently have a presence on social media (that you are aware of)?
  24. Yes – How is your department using social media? ______
  25. No – Why not? ______
  26. Does your department have plans to implement social media (that you are aware of)?
  27. Yes – How does your department plan to use social media? ______
  28. N o – Why not? ______
  29. How important do you feel it is for NSGC to develop a practice guideline regarding social media use with colleagues?
  30. Not important
  31. Somewhat important
  32. Very important
  33. How important do you feel it is for NSGC to develop a practice guideline regarding social media use with patients?
  34. Not important
  35. Somewhat important
  36. Very important

Section 9: Demographic Information

  1. Number of years as a genetic counselor?
  2. ______years
  3. In which state are you currently practicing?
  4. ______
  5. Please write in the percent of time you spend in each of the following specialty areas. Answers should add up to 100.
  6. _____ Administration
  7. _____ Adult
  8. _____ Cancer
  9. _____ Cardiovascular
  10. _____ Education
  11. _____ Laboratory
  12. _____ Neurogenetics
  13. _____ Pediatric (including newborn screening and metabolic disease)
  14. _____ Prenatal (including teratogen and preconception/PGD/infertility)
  15. _____ Research
  16. _____ Other (please explain): ______
  17. What is your primary work setting?
  18. University medical center
  19. Private hospital
  20. Public hospital
  21. Commercial laboratory
  22. Private practice
  23. Government organization or agency
  24. Not-for-profit organization or agency
  25. What is the percentage of time you are working in the following settings? Answers should add up to 100.
  26. _____ Urban
  27. _____ Rural
  28. _____ Suburban
  29. What is your age?
  30. ______years
  31. What is your sex?
  32. Male
  33. Female

Do you have any additional comments: