Use of Social Media Apps by Nurses for Professional Purposes in Catalonia: Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Over the last few years, the use of social media mobile applications or apps (SMAs) has increased exponentially. The potential advantages of using these technologies by health professionals in clinical settings have been discussed many times. Considering that the nursing profession is the largest segment of the healthcare workforce in the majority of countries in the world, the impact of using these apps by these professionals is very relevant. The objectives of this study were, firstly, to determine if nurses were using SMAs professionally and the most frequent SMAs used and secondly, to find out if, among nurses, there is a need for training in the use of these mobile applications for professional purposes. The study is a descriptive cross-sectional study based on an Internet survey of 1,293 nurses in Catalonia (Spain). The average age of the respondents who had these apps installed on their mobile phones or tablets, was 43.12 (SD ± 11.32) years old. WhatsApp was the most frequent SMAs used by nurses for professional purposes, and 79.2 % of nurses mentioned they used it several times a day. WhatsApp was the preferred SMAs for communicating with colleagues (31.2% of nurses) followed by Facebook (18.4%) and Twitter (11.3%). In contrast, the use of the SMAs was much less frequent as a means of communication with patients (7.2% in the case of WhatsApp). Nurses expressed their need for specific training in the use of these apps for professional purposes, indicating the interest and potential impact of the introduction of these technologies in clinical environments. The use of SMAs is quite common among nurses at the moment of the survey, and WhatsApp was the most popular one to support their professional activity. Based on the results of the survey, the Nursing Association of Barcelona (COIB) will consider the design of specific training activities in the use of SMAs in clinical settings.