Advancing Nursing Practice Through Social Media: A Global Perspective

Advancing Nursing Practice Through Social Media: A Global Perspective

Article

Abstract

Social media has been used globally as a key vehicle for communication. As members of an innovative profession, many nurses have embraced social media and are actively utilizing its potential to enhance practice and improve health. The ubiquity of the Internet provides social media with the potential to improve both access to health information and services and equity in health care. Thus there are a number of successful nurse-led initiatives. However, the open and democratising nature of social media creates a number of potential risks, both individual and organisational. This article considers the use of social media within nursing from a global perspective, including discussion of policy and guidance documents. The impact of social media on both healthcare consumers and nurses is reviewed, followed by discussion of selected risks associated with social media. To help nurses make the most of social media tools and avoid potential pitfalls, the article conclusion suggests implications appropriate for global level practice based on available published guidance.

The use of information and communication technology and the Internet continues to grow in all regions of the world. Over two billion Internet users globally represent thirty-seven percent of the world's population. Hand-in-hand with this increase is the exponential growth of the use of social media, both within the general population and by the health care community. Kaplan and Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web two point zero, and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content." They characterise the many forms of social media into six main types: collaborative projects (e.g., Wikipedia); blogs and microblogs (e.g., Twitter); content communities (e.g., YouTube); social networking sites (e.g., Facebook); virtual game worlds (e.g., World of Warcraft); and virtual social worlds (e.g., Second Life). Social media is now well-embedded in our information gathering and sharing strategies, and it is revolutionising the way we communicate.

Globally, over twenty percent of Internet time is spent on social network and blog sites. At the end of June twenty twelve, Facebook had over nine hundred fifty million monthly active users. Also in March twenty twelve, Twitter had one hundred forty million active users, generating over three hundred forty million tweets daily. The power of social media's outreach and impact was evidenced by recent events in North Africa and the Middle East. A study out of the University of Washington which analysed more than three million tweets, several gigabytes of YouTube content, and thousands of blog posts, found that social media played a central role in shaping political debates in what is now commonly referred to as the "Arab Spring."

Not surprisingly, social media is also finding a place in public health communication strategies. The World Health Organization has a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, and a significant presence on YouTube. WHO is using social media to disseminate public health information, to counter rumours, and to

... social media is also finding a place in public health communication strategies.

keep the global public informed during disease outbreaks or disasters. As an example, WHO used Twitter during an influenza A H one N one pandemic and had more than eleven thousand seven hundred "followers." As the experience of WHO indicates, one fact sheet or an emergency message about an outbreak can be spread through Twitter faster than any influenza virus.