Social media in nursing and midwifery education: A mixed study systematic review

Aim: To synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of social media in nursing and midwifery education.

Background: Social media are being explored to see if these online tools can support teaching, learning, and assessment.

Design: A mixed study systematic review.

Data sources: A systematic search of PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and ERIC was run in January 2016. An updated search was run in June 2017. No date limits were applied.

Methods: Titles, abstracts, and full papers were screened against inclusion criteria by two independent reviewers, who extracted and quality assessed data. Synthesis followed a sequential explanatory approach.

Results: Twelve studies were included. Social media seemed to support students to acquire new knowledge and skills. The learning process centred on the interactive nature of the platforms which allow information to be dynamically shared and discussed in near real time. The characteristics of social media enabled social support and a more student-centred setting, which appeared to enhance collaborative learning, although information quality was sometimes problematic. Learning via social media was underpinned by how well the educational interventions were organized, digital literacy and e-Professionalism of students and faculty, the accessibility of the online applications, and personal motivation.

Conclusion: This review provides the first rigorous synthesis of social media in nursing and midwifery education. A new Social Media Learning Model was conceptualized to aid our understanding of learning via this technology. Knowledge gaps are identified and recommendations on how to capitalize on social media to improve learning in higher and continuing education provided.