Public perceptions about nurses communicated via Twitter in Turkey

Area of Science:

• Social Media Analysis
• Public Health Communication
• Nursing Perception Studies

Background:

• Social media platforms like Twitter facilitate public discourse on various topics, including healthcare professions.
• The nursing profession's image is a critical aspect of public health and professional recognition.
• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted public discourse and perceptions of healthcare workers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the portrayal of nursing on Twitter in Turkey before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To assess public perceptions of nurses' communication on Twitter in Turkey.

Main Methods:

• Content analysis of tweets related to nursing on Twitter.
• Categorization of tweets into themes such as respect, anxiety, violence, gratefulness, anger, positivity, and negativity.
• Comparison of tweet sentiment before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Results:

• Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 35.65% of analyzed tweets were positive, and 64.35% were negative.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, 91.94% of analyzed tweets were positive, and only 8.06% were negative.
• A significant positive shift in public perception of nurses was observed on Twitter during the pandemic.

Conclusions:

• Public opinion regarding nurses on Twitter in Turkey was predominantly positive during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have fostered a more favorable public image of nurses on social media.
• Social media platforms can serve as valuable indicators of public sentiment towards healthcare professionals.