The use of social media as a tool for stakeholder engagement in health service design and quality improvement: A scoping review

• Main Authors: Walsh, Louisa, Nerida Hyett, Juniper, Nicole, Li, Chi, Rodier, Sophie, Hill, Sophie
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: SAGE Journals 2021
• Subjects: 111708 Health and Community Services; FOS Health sciences; Cardiology; 110306 Endocrinology; FOS Clinical medicine; 110308 Geriatrics and Gerontology; 111099 Nursing not elsewhere classified; 111299 Oncology and Carcinogenesis not elsewhere classified; 111702 Aged Health Care; 111799 Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified; 99999 Engineering not elsewhere classified; FOS Other engineering and technologies; Anthropology; FOS Sociology; 200299 Cultural Studies not elsewhere classified; FOS Other humanities; 89999 Information and Computing Sciences not elsewhere classified; FOS Computer and information sciences; 150310 Organisation and Management Theory; FOS Economics and business; Science Policy; 160512 Social Policy; FOS Political science; Sociology; Briggs; First Nations
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25384/sage.c.5319221; https://sage.figshare.com/collections/The_use_of_social_media_as_a_tool_for_stakeholder_engagement_in_health_service_design_and_quality_improvement_A_scoping_review/5319221

BackgroundHealth-related social media use is common but few health organisations have embraced its potential for engaging stakeholders in service design and quality improvement (QI). Social media may provide new ways to engage more diverse stakeholders and conduct health design and QI activities.ObjectiveTo map how social media is used by health services, providers and consumers to contribute to service design or QI activities.MethodsThe scoping review was undertaken using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. An advisory committee of stakeholders provided guidance throughout the review. Inclusion criteria were studies of any health service stakeholders, in any health setting, where social media was used as a tool for communications which influenced or advocated for changes to health service design or delivery. A descriptive numerical summary of the communication models, user populations and QI activities was created from the included studies, and the findings were further synthesised using deductive qualitative content analysis.Results40 studies were included. User populations included organisations, clinical and non-clinical providers, young people, people with chronic illness/disability and First Nations people. Twitter was the most common platform for design and QI activities. Most activities were conducted using two-way communication models. A typology of social media use is presented, identifying nine major models of use.ConclusionThis review identifies the ways in which social media is being used as a tool to engage stakeholders in health service design and QI, with different models of use appropriate for different activities, user populations and stages of the QI cycle.