A mixed study systematic review of social media in nursing and midwifery education: Protocol.

AIM: To synthesize evidence on the use of social media in nursing and midwifery education.

BACKGROUND: Social media is one type of online platform that is being explored to determine if there is value in using interactive, digital communication tools to support how nurses and midwives learn in a variety of settings.

DESIGN: A sequential explanatory synthesis approach will be used for this mixed study review.

METHOD: Five bibliographic databases; PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and ERIC will be searched using a combination of keywords relevant to social networking and social media, nursing and midwifery, and education. The search will not be limited by year of publication. Titles, abstracts, and full papers will be screened by two independent reviewers against inclusion and exclusion criteria, with any disagreements resolved via a third reviewer. Selected studies will undergo quality assessment and data extraction. Data synthesis will occur in three sequential phases, with quantitative and qualitative data analysed separately and then integrated where possible to provide a conceptual framework illustrating learning via social media. Funding for this review was confirmed in May 2016 by Sigma Theta Tau International and the National League for Nursing.

DISCUSSION: The mixed study systematic review will produce the first rigorous synthesis on the use of social media in nursing and midwifery education and will have important implications for educators as well as students. It will also highlight knowledge gaps and make recommendations on the use of this novel technology in higher and continuing education.