Digital professionalism in preregistration nursing and midwifery students: A scoping review to explore perceptions of professionalism when using social media

Aim: This review aimed to scope the literature by examining preregistration nursing and midwifery students’ perceptions regarding professional use of social media. 

Background: Digital professionalism refers to the competence required when interacting online, such as social network platforms by maintaining the values and attitudes which align with professional codes of conduct. With increasing social media platforms being used by nursing and midwifery students, there are concerns about professional behaviour and the implications for those who may not be clear on its use in the professional context of their profession. 

Design: Methodology included utilising best-practice guidelines for undertaking scoping reviews. The PCC framework (population, concept and context) was applied to this review; Population – preregistration nursing and/or midwifery students; Concept/s- professionalism when using social media platforms; and Context – preregistration (undergraduate) or entry level students studying either midwifery or nursing. The databases included in the review were MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase (OVID) and Scopus due to their relevancy to health professional education, identifying 1087 articles up to May 2024, which were screened independently by two reviewers. Seventeen articles (17) met the inclusion criteria. Content analysis assisted with mapping of themes and subthemes. 

Results: The year of publication of the 17 primary studies ranged from 2012 to 2023. Twelve studies were cross-sectional, one was a randomised controlled trial, one was a retrospective analysis and three were qualitative designs. A wide number of countries were represented. Social media platforms included Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, Snapchat, YouTube, WeChat, Ozone, QQ, Sina Weibo, TikTok and LinkedIn. Two major themes represented nursing and/or midwifery student views and experiences with their professional engagement when using social media, with a focus on digital professionalism: Professional Boundaries and Responsibility and Accountability. 

Conclusions: There is a need to ensure nursing and midwifery students are aware of social media policies and procedures which must have a strong presence within preregistration curricula. Further research is required to co-design and facilitate clear guidelines and further education on digital professionalism.