The Mediating Role of Trust between Social Networking and Knowledge Sharing among Physicians in North Central Nigeria

Using quantitative research, the study examines the mediating role of trust between social networking and knowledge sharing of physicians in tertiary healthcare institutions in north-central Nigeria. The research methodology is practically a descriptive survey and a cross-sectional study using structured questionnaires. The study population was 2030 physicians at tertiary healthcare institutions in north central Nigeria and the sample size was 333. The sampling technique is the multi-stage sampling. Data were analysed using Smart-PLS 4.0. The results of the study show that social networking strongly influences knowledge sharing (β=0.592, t=16.479, p=0.000), trust is impacted by social networking (β=0.634, t=18.320, p=0.000), and trust significantly affects knowledge sharing. (β=0.304, t=7.224, p=0.000), trust strongly influences the link between social networking and knowledge sharing (β=0.188, t=6.368, p=0.000). With these findings, physicians are more likely to engage in knowledge sharing, leading to better diagnosis, treatment, and patient outcomes. The study recommends that further studies should take into consideration other sectors of the economy, such as the manufacturing, technological, and educational sectors. Again, a longitudinal study and mixed method should be carried out and other regions in the country should be studied to compare the results.