Raccomandazioni sul corretto utilizzo dei social media da parte degli infermieri

Introduction The use of Web to communicate, find information, and share experiences, also on health subject, is in continue growing. Internet development and its diffusion have led to develop multimedia communication tools accessible through different type of devices. This unstoppable shift offers unprecedented communication opportunities with citizens and represents a challenge for all health professionals. However, the use of social media entail some risks, especially in health environments: the improper use of these tools can compromise the patient’s privacy, his relation with the health operators, with the health organizations and the entire health system. The aim of this study is to find and describe the proper use modalities of social media for nurses. Methods A non-systematic literature review through biomedical and guidelines database, national and governmental health agencies’ websites and generic internet browser (Google) has been conducted. Results We found 88 results and only nine of these met the inclusion criteria. All documents considered underline the social media potentialities and risks and propose basic recommendations about the proper use of these new multimedia tools.Conclusions The awareness and knowledge of the social media are the key elements for a proper use of these tools, getting their advantages without risks. To reach this goal is desirable a specific formation about the social media for the health operators and, before, for the health professions’ students. The phenomenon of social media should be studied more in depth and should be set up an inter/intraprofessional comparison to produce common recommendations.