Overview of Facebook Use by Hospitals in Italy: A Nationwide Survey during the COVID-19 Emergency

• Main Authors: Beniamino Schiavone, Andrea Vitale, Mena Gallo, Gianlucasalvatore Russo, Domenico Ponticelli, Mario Borrelli
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: health communication; Facebook; social media; COVID-19
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/14/7225
• ISSN: 1661-7827; 1660-4601

<i>Background</i>: Facebook is the most popular social network across the world and also allows users access to health information. Our study presents an overview of the official Facebook profiles of hospitals in Italy (<i>n</i> = 1351) and how much they are used. <i>Methods</i>: All hospitals were surveyed on the number of Facebook posts in May (post-lockdown) and October (second pandemic wave) 2020. The number of followers, the creation date of the official page, and the frequency of publication—that is, the average number of days between two subsequent posts—were determined. <i>Results</i>: In Italy, only 28% (<i>n</i> = 379) of the hospitals had official Facebook pages, of which 20.6% (<i>n</i> = 78) were public hospitals, and 79.4% (<i>n</i> = 301) were private hospitals. Of the hospitals with Facebook pages, 49.1% used them every week, and public hospitals published more often. <i>Conclusions</i>: Despite the differences between regions and types of management, the number of hospitals in Italy that use Facebook as a tool for the public dissemination of health information is still low. Hospitals should adopt an effective communication strategy using social networks to improve the quality of health care.