Beneficial and Harmful Effects of Work-Related Social Media Utilization and Its Relationship with Work Productivity among Nurses

Mahmoud, Mostafa Nasr; Baddar, Fatma Fatma; Saleh, Mohamed Saad

doi:10.21608/asalexu.2024.392400

Beneficial and Harmful Effects of Work-Related Social Media Utilization and Its Relationship with Work Productivity among Nurses

Document Type : Research articles

Authors

¹ B.Sc., In Nursing, Alexandria University Quality Specialist, Kafr El-Sheikh University Hospital

² Professor Emeritus Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University

³ Assistant Professor Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University

10.21608/asalexu.2024.392400

Abstract

Background: The internet and social media have become available in all aspects of daily life and there are rapid technological advances in the healthcare sector. It is a double-edged sword with its drawbacks. Also, the use of work-related social media may affect work productivity among nursing staff in their workplaces. The current study aimed to Identify the beneficial and harmful effects of work-related social media utilization and its relationship with work productivity among nurses. Settings: The study was conducted at all critical care units (N=6) at Kafr El-Sheikh University Hospital. Subjects: All staff nurses (N=137) who provided direct and indirect care to patients, with experience of at least 6 months. Tools: Two tools were applied to collect the required data. The 1st tool was The Work-Related Social Media Questionnaire. The 2nd tool was The Endicott Work Productivity Scale. Results: Around one-fifth (18.2%) of studied nurses had a high level of beneficial media use and more than three-quarters (76.6%) of them had a moderate level. Three-quarters (75.2%) of the studied nurses had a low level of total harmful media use, and around one-fifth (20.4%) of them had a moderate level. Also, more than one-third (34.3%) of them had a moderate level of work productivity, while less than two-thirds (63.5%) of them had a high level of work productivity. Conclusion: The findings showed there was a low positive statistically significant relationship between beneficial media use and nurses’ productivity while a negative moderate statistically significant relationship was noticed between nurses’ productivity and harmful media use. Recommendations: It is important to establish clear guidelines, ethical standards, and policies to prevent social media abuse in the workplace. In addition, conducting regular awareness workshops on the appropriate use of work-related social media is crucial. It is also important to educate the new generation of nursing students about the proper use of social media in the workplace to increase productivity. These concepts should be integrated into nursing curricula.

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