Use of twitter for health communication: a systematic review

Abstract

Social media have become one of the leading health communication channels among the exponents of Health 2.0. Twitter has particularly noteworthy features for providing information quickly and easily. However, there is still controversy about the convenience of its use. Objectives: This paper aims to identify the main topics of health covered, the uses of Twitter in health communication and to characterize the valences (positive and negative) associated with each use. Methodology: To do that, we conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. Two databases (Web of Science and Pubmed) were searched, and 610 articles were retrieved. After removing duplicates, screening the titles and abstracts and assessing the full texts, 83 papers met the inclusion criteria. Results: The review identified five uses of Twitter: Conversation, Engagement, Information, Prevention, and Awareness, and it established the definitions of the positive and negative valences associated with each use. The most common uses found were Conversation and Engagement. Likewise, the two areas most studied were Public Health and Infectious Diseases. Conclusion: There is no consensus on the usefulness of Twitter as a tool for information or for generating debate, although the platform’s effectiveness for measuring the impact of health campaigns was highlighted.