Impact of Social Media on Patients’ Decision Making Towards Physical Therapy

Background: Social networking has become one of the most prominent platforms for knowledge sharing and has begun to influence health decisions, including physical therapy decisions. Patient consumers are now looking to make informed choices about health issues on social networking sites, which has both positive as well as negative effects on patients’ decision-making process. Objective: To evaluate the impact of social media on patients’ decision-making towards physical therapy. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to June 2023 using convenience sampling to recruit participants from seven hospitals and clinics in Faisalabad, including Alnoor Clinic, Pro Health Rehab Clinic, Madinah Teaching Hospital, Faisal Hospital, Al-Aziz Clinic, Social Security Hospital, and Allied Hospital. Adults aged 18 years or older, aware of physical therapy treatments, and willing to provide informed consent were included, while those with cognitive impairments, severe medical conditions, or unable to consent were excluded. A self-structured questionnaire was used, covering demographic data, social media behaviours, and the influence of social media on physical therapy-related decisions, with some items on a Likert scale. Participants were approached after consultations, informed about the study, and provided written consent. Descriptive statistics summarizing demographics and usage patterns, and Pearson correlation tests assessing relationships between social media use, decision-making, and demographic factors. Ethical approval was obtained from Faisalabad University’s ethics committee. Results: Most of the participants fall within the 21-30 age group (35.5%), while only 0.8% are above 60 years. Gender distribution is nearly balanced, with 207(51.7%) males and 193(48.3%) females, showing a slight predominance of male patients. Education levels reveal that most patients have attained higher education. The largest group belongs to the university-level category 163(40.8%), followed by college-level 132(33%). Conclusion: Findings indicated that physical therapy decision-making by patients is significantly influenced by social media. Females primarily make increased use of social media when seeking emotional support, as well as gain knowledge, while males make increased use of it when comparing costs and procedures. Utilization of non-professional sources of facts and the spread of myths remain some of the challenges that must be combated. Physical therapists must utilise social networking to provide accurate facts.