ObjectiveCurrently, use of social networking services (SNSs) for interprofessional collaboration is increasing. However, few studies have reported on virtual interprofessional interactions in community healthcare services. Revealing such structural characteristics of the networks can provide insight into the functions of the interprofessional information-sharing network and lead to smoother collaboration. Thus, we aimed to explore the structure of SNS-based information-sharing clinical networks.DesignSocial network analysis (SNA).SettingWe selected a community in City X in Japan.Data collectionWe analysed SNS-based information-sharing clinical network data linked to patients receiving home medical care or care services between January and December 2018. A network was created for each patient to allow healthcare professionals to post and view messages on the web platform. In the SNA, healthcare professions registered in a patient group were represented as nodes, and message posting/viewing relationships were represented as links in the patient network. We investigated the structural characteristics of the target networks using several measures for SNA, including indegree centrality and outdegree centrality, which reflect the number of incoming and outgoing links to/from a node, respectively. Additionally, the professions forming the most central nodes were investigated based on their ranking to identify those with a central role in the networks. Finally, to compare the networks of nursing care levels 1–3 (lighter care requirement) and those with nursing care levels 4–5 (heavier care requirement), we analysed the structural differences in the networks and investigated the roles of healthcare professionals using centrality measures of nodes.ResultsAmong 844 groups, 247 groups with any nursing care level data were available for analysis. Increasing nursing care level showed higher density, reciprocity and lower centralisation. Healthcare professions with high indegree centrality (physicians, care workers and physical therapists) differed from those with high outdegree centrality (home care workers, physical therapists, and registered dieticians). Visiting nurses and nurses in the clinic played a central role, but visiting nurses tended to have higher indegree and outdegree centrality, while nurses in the clinic had higher closeness and betweenness centrality in networks with heavier care requirement.ConclusionThe SNS-based information-sharing clinical network structure showed that different professions played some form of a central role. Associations between network structures and patient outcomes, cost effectiveness and other factors warrant further investigation.

No abstract

Background Understanding the evolution of social network services (SNSs) can provide insights into the functions of interprofessional information-sharing systems. Using social network analysis, we aimed to analyze annual changes in the network structure of SNS-based information sharing among healthcare professionals over a 3-year period in Japan. Methods We analyzed data on SNS-based information sharing networks with online message boards for healthcare professionals for 2018, 2019, and 2020 in a Japanese community. These networks were created for each patient so that healthcare professionals could post and view messages on the web platform. In the social network analysis (SNA), healthcare professionals registered with a patient group were represented as nodes, and message posting and viewing relationships were represented as links. We investigated the structural characteristics of the networks using several measures for SNA, including reciprocity, assortativity and betweenness centrality, which reflect interrelational links, the prevalence of similar nodes with neighbors, and the mediating roles of other nodes, respectively. Next, to compare year-to-year trends in networks of patients overall, and between receiving nursing care levels 1–3 (lighter care requirement) and levels 4–5 (heavier care requirement), we described the annual structural differences and analyzed each measure for SNA using the Steel–Dwass test. Results Among 844, 940, and 1063 groups in each year, groups for analysis in care levels 1–3/4–5 were identified as 106/135, 79/89, and 57/57, respectively. The overall annual assessment showed a trend toward increased diameter and decreased density, but the differences were not significant. For those requiring care levels 1–3, assortativity decreased significantly, while for those requiring care levels 4–5, reciprocity decreased and betweenness centrality increased significantly. No significant differences were found in the other items. Discussion This study revealed that the network of patients with a lighter care requirement had more connections consisting of nodes with different links, whereas the network of patients with a heavier care requirement had more fixed intermediary roles and weaker interrelationships among healthcare professionals. Clarifying interprofessional collaborative mechanisms underlying development patterns among healthcare professionals can contribute to future clinical quality improvement.

No abstract