Social Media as a Teaching Strategy: Opportunities and Barriers

In health professions education social media represents an emerging field. As it is one of the most popular technology resources used by current society, it gives teachers the opportunity to engage with students in meaningful ways. The inclusion of social media in education can result in many benefits, such as increased students satisfaction, collaboration and relatedness. Nevertheless, its use has also reported several barriers and challenges to be faced. In this paper the authors aim to discuss the current use of social media as a teaching strategy within the health professions education environment, focusing on the benefits and challenges presented for students and teachers, and to stimulate future research.