[Health information in the era of social network: a nursing analysis]

Web and social networks play a crucial role in health information seeking and health literacy levels. In the last ten years people are able to access a wide range of health information from a plethora of sources. People who live in the city experience an increased stimulus level related to the density of people and the overload of information inputs.

We undertook a census analysis of groups on a social network to identify the importance of health information for the all population and with the aim to evaluate the intersection between digital health information seeking, social networks, and social capital.

This study shows that there is a relevant growing number of groups health-related, especially connected to chronic disease and another aspect relevant to the daily health of the population. The study identifies two aspect in all groups: one aspect is connected to share information about treatment and medication and other aspect connected to the relationship in terms of sharing experiences and emotional support.

Social networks have a relevant impact on health and allow millions of users fast, easy, and concise access to the most important and useful medical information. More research should be conducted to enhance the understanding of the correct pathway to follow to align and measures outcomes of understanding health information and health literacy, use of social networks and the key role of the environment, infrastructure, algorithms and construction in building social capital of individuals and society. It's necessary avoid to think that people live in many separate islands, instead in the same interconnected arena with health professionals that have to work for a better understanding of digital and social networks.