Abstract
Background: Health researchers are increasingly using social media in a professional capacity, and the applications of social media for health researchers are vast. However, there is currently no published evidence synthesis of the ways in which health researchers use social media professionally, and uncertainty remains as to how best to harness its potential. Objective: This scoping review aimed to explore how social media is used by health researchers professionally, as reported in the literature. Methods: The scoping review methodology guided by Arksey and O'Malley and Levac et al was used. Comprehensive searches based on the concepts of health research and social media were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, and Web of Science databases, with no limitations applied. Articles were screened at the title and abstract level and at full text by two reviewers. One reviewer extracted data that were analyzed descriptively to map the available evidence. Results: A total of 8359 articles were screened at the title and abstract level, of which 719 were also assessed at full text for eligibility. The 414 articles identified for inclusion were published in 278 different journals. Studies originated from 31 different countries, with the most prevalent being the United States (52.7% [218/414]). The health discipline of the first authors varied, with medicine (33.3% [138/414]) being the most common. A third of the articles covered health generally, with 61 health-specific topics. Papers used a range of social media platforms (mean 1.33 [SD 0.7]). A quarter of the articles screened reported on social media use for participant recruitment (25.1% [104/414]), followed by practical ways to use social media (15.5% [64/414]), and use of social media for content analysis research (13.3% [55/414]). Articles were categorized as celebratory (ie, opportunities for engagement, 72.2% [299/414]), contingent (ie, opportunities and possible limitations, 22.7% [94/414]) and concerned (ie, potentially harmful, 5.1% [21/414]). Conclusions: Health researchers are increasingly publishing on their use of social media for a range of professional purposes. Although most of the sentiment around the use of social media in health research was celebratory, the uses of social media varied widely. Future research is needed to support health researchers to optimize their social media use.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e13687 |
| Journal | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 1 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Funding support for this research was provided through the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation – Knowledge Sharing Support Award ($10,000; PSO-KSSA-2016-964). CTC is the senior author for this publication. CTC holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair and infrastructure support was provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation. CTC’s research is also supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. PRT is supported by a CIHR Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. EIB was supported by a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Association of Gastroenterology and Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, and by the Career Enhancement Program of the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program. HOW is supported by a Fonds de recherche du Québec—Santé Research Scholar Junior 2 Award. Article processing fees for this manuscript were provided by CTC, RBG, and HOW. The funders had no involvement in review or approval of the manuscript.
Funding Information:
1Dalhousie University, Faculty of Health, Halifax, NS, Canada 2IWK Health Centre, Centre for Pediatric Pain Research, Halifax, NS, Canada 3Dalhousie University, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Halifax, NS, Canada 4Dalhousie University, Department of Pediatrics, Halifax, NS, Canada 5The Hospital for Sick Children, SickKids Research Institute, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada 6University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, ON, Canada 7University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Toronto, ON, Canada 8Dalhousie University, WK Kellogg Health Sciences Library, Halifax, NS, Canada 9University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Ottawa, ON, Canada 10University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Ottawa, ON, Canada 11University of California San Francisco, Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, San Francisco, CA, United States 12Laval University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Quebec, QC, Canada 13Laval University, Faculty of Medicine, Office of Education and Professional Development, Quebec, QC, Canada 14CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada 15Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Funding Information:
Country of first author United States United Kingdom Australia Canada Unknown Germany, Saudi Arabia Brazil, Italy, New Zealand, Spain Ireland Hong Kong, India, Israel, Norway, the Netherlands Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Iran, Japan, Northern Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Uganda Multiple countries (cowritten article)
Publisher Copyright:
© Justine Dol, Perri R Tutelman, Christine T Chambers, Melanie Barwick, Emily K Drake, Jennifer A Parker, Robin Parker, Eric I Benchimol, Ronald B George, Holly O Witteman.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Health Informatics