You are being invited to participate in a survey on the use of social media in facility-based emergency care in Africa. You were identified for participation through the African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM) membership database; this database noted that you are a clinician with experience providing facility-based emergency care in Africa. Please note that this study is directed ONLY at doctors. We ask that you take time to read the information presented here explaining the details of this study. It is very important that you clearly understand what this research entails and how you could be involved. Should you wish to have a copy of this information for your own records, it can be shared upon email request to lead investigator, Dr Abdelmonim Ali Abdelrahman, at erdoc999@gmail.com.
The survey should take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. You will receive no direct benefits from participating in this research study. However, your responses will help us learn more about the use of social media in facility-based emergency care in low- and middle-income countries.
Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you are free to decline to participate. If you choose not to participate, this will not affect you negatively in any way whatsoever. You may refuse to take part in the research or exit the survey at any time without penalty.
Survey data will be stored anonymously in a password-protected electronic format. At the end of the survey, you will be asked if you are interested in participating in an additional interview (either remotely or in person). If so, you will be asked to share contact details. This information will be stored securely, separate from your survey responses, and never shared beyond the research team.
This study has been approved by the University of Cape Town Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC REF: 695/2020). If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints that you wish to address to someone other than the lead investigator, you may contact the UCT HREC on (tel) +27 21 406 6338 or (fax) +27 21 406 6411.