“The power of Twitter”: using social media at a conference with nursing students

The potential impact of social media use in nursing education, continuing professional development, and nurses' advocacy is unfolding at a rapid pace. Nurse educators are uniquely placed to incorporate the use of social media to enhance students' learning experiences and support students to develop competency in the use of social media for patient benefit. This paper outlines a novel way in which professional education on social media use was integrated into an undergraduate nursing programme. Digital professionalism was cultivated together with collaborative active learning. Students connected using the Twitter hashtag #kclciat18 registered for the ‘Connecting it all Together 2017’ conference held at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, King's College London. Students were invited to participate in an education session on social media, and live activities using Twitter. The conference provided students with a forum to learn about Twitter and practice using Twitter in a professional capacity. Utilising the healthcare conference hashtag repository, Symplur, quantitative and qualitative measures were accessible indicating the reach and extent of connectivity. A combination of qualitative and quantitative outcome measures will help student nurses appreciate the power of Twitter for patient benefit

Facilitating support groups for siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders using audioconferencing: a longitudinal feasibility study

Background: Siblings of children with chronic illness and disabilities are at increased risk of negative psychological effects. Support groups enable them to access psycho-education and social support. Barriers to this can include the distance they have to travel to meet face-to-face. Audio-conferencing, whereby three or more people can connect by telephone in different locations, is an efficient means of groups meeting and warrants exploration in this healthcare context. This study explored the feasibility of audio-conferencing as a method of facilitating sibling support groups. Methods: A longitudinal design was adopted. Participants were six siblings (aged eight to thirteen years) and parents of children with complex neurodevelopmental disorders attending the Centre for Interventional Paediatric Psychopharmacology (CIPP). Four of the eight one-hour weekly sessions were held face-to-face and the other four using audio-conferencing. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires and interviews were completed and three to six month follow-up interviews were carried out. The sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematic analysis was undertaken. Results: Audio-conferencing as a form of telemedicine was acceptable to all six participants and was effective in facilitating sibling support groups. Audio-conferencing can overcome geographical barriers to children being able to receive group therapeutic healthcare interventions such as social support and psycho-education. Psychopathology ratings increased post-intervention in some participants. Siblings reported that communication between siblings and their family members increased and siblings’ social network widened. Conclusions: Audio-conferencing is an acceptable, feasible and effective method of facilitating sibling support groups. Siblings’ clear accounts of neuropsychiatric symptoms render them reliable informants. Systematic assessment of siblings’ needs and strengthened links between Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, school counsellors and young carers groups are warranted