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Table 3 Principal components analysis with corresponding Cronbach α coefficients for each factor

From: Development and validation of scale for measuring attitudes towards e-professionalism among medical and dental students: SMePROF-S scale

  

Factors

  

Ethical aspects

Dangers of SM

Excluding physicians

Freedom of choice

Importance of professionalism

Physicians in the digital age

Negative consequences

Factors

Items

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Ethical aspects

It is ethically acceptable for a physician to communicate with a patient through social media as part of his/her care for patients and the patient healthcare process.

.885

.020

−.067

.030

.008

.162

.022

It is ethically acceptable for a physician to communicate (e.g. share personal messages) with a patient through personal social media account for easier social interaction.

.870

.072

−.080

.076

.006

.136

.018

Social media have the potential to improve communication between a physician and a patient.

.865

.100

−.127

.024

.059

.243

.021

Communication with a patient through social media can be achieved without compromising physician-patient confidentiality.

.832

.041

−.101

.013

.012

.191

.078

It is ethically acceptable for a physician to visit patient social media profile.

.625

.086

−.030

.122

−.021

.108

.067

Dangers of SM

It is possible that your potential employer will not hire you or invite you for an interview due to information about you found online.

.109

.838

−.073

−.040

.065

.101

−.114

There is a possibility that your online behaviour might have an impact on perception of others in your profession.

.037

.827

−.049

−.025

.185

.120

−.177

People can make wrong assumptions about you based solely on the content of your post.

.050

.821

−.102

−.016

.176

.105

−.103

You may lose a position you already hold (as an employee or student) due to information about you found online.

.040

.773

.018

−.051

.087

.124

−.067

Sharing privileged patient information on social media without their consent is deemed to be inadmissible.

.108

.588

−.379

.102

.166

.044

−.028

Excluding physicians

Healthcare professionals should be banned from using social networking software due to too much of a risk.

−.091

−.140

.896

.034

.076

.016

−.131

Healthcare professionals should be restricted from using social networking software due to too much of a risk.

−.116

−.028

.870

−.101

.122

.108

−.219

Freedom of choice

I should be able to do whatever I want online.

.074

−.010

−.088

.788

−.063

−.040

−.198

The School has no right to interfere in my online activities.

.021

.023

−.245

.733

−.069

−.144

−.324

I believe that my online activities do not affect me as a professional.

.057

−.057

.113

.687

.168

.059

.076

Importance of professionalism

I strongly agree with expectations for professional behaviour and make a conscious effort to comply with them in every aspect of my life.

.012

.138

.067

.044

.874

.045

.012

I know well what constitutes professional behaviour and what is expected of me as a current/future professional.

.019

.151

−.025

.139

.824

−.059

−.076

High-level professional behaviour should also be expected of students from the very beginning of their studies.

.000

.126

.190

−.130

.736

.221

.035

Physicians in the digital age

Guiding patients to online information is a new responsibility of physicians in the digital age.

.266

.058

.073

.009

−.013

.768

−.060

As a medicine / dental medicine graduate, it is my obligation to keep abreast with the current trends in the use of social media.

.165

.076

−.130

.073

.088

.759

−.153

One of the responsibilities of a teacher is to counsel students on the appropriate use of social media.

.068

.191

.181

−.140

.090

.649

.028

Negative consequences

Professionals cannot actually fully relax.

−.105

.160

.145

.034

−.005

.093

−.831

Social media have removed protection of professionals against the public.

−.063

.097

.209

.015

.088

.082

−.798

It is not always possible to maintain professionalism in online activities.

.042

.072

.001

.339

−.018

.044

−.653

Cronbach α coefficients

.877

.829

.823

.601

.748

.570

.680