حامد بهمنی

Background: Social media platforms are increasingly used in healthcare to provide psychosocial support to cancer patients. Despite global enthusiasm, concerns about misinformation and emotional vulnerability persist. In Iran, cultural and regulatory contexts add complexity to this dynamic, necessitating a localized understanding of healthcare providers’ perspectives. Aims: This study aims to explore Iranian oncology nurses’ perceptions of the benefits and risks associated with hospitalized cancer patients' use of social media, and to identify factors influencing these perceptions. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 131 oncology nurses from various hospitals in Iran, primarily in Tehran. Participants completed a structured questionnaire assessing demographics, life satisfaction, personal social media use, and perceptions of social media's impact on patient morale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and path analysis. Results: Overall, nurses held a positive view of social media’s role in enhancing patient morale, with a mean perception score of 7.1/10. Younger nurses and those with junior professional ranks exhibited more favorable attitudes. Personal social media usage positively correlated with optimistic perceptions, while life satisfaction showed a weak but significant positive association. Path analysis indicated that daily social media usage and younger age were the strongest predictors of positive perceptions. Some nurses, however, expressed concerns about misinformation and patient vulnerability. Conclusions: The findings highlight the generally favorable yet nuanced attitudes of Iranian oncology nurses toward social media use by cancer patients. Efforts to enhance digital literacy among healthcare providers and culturally sensitive strategies are recommended to maximize social media’s psychosocial benefits while mitigating associated risks.

Cancer has traditionally been conceptualized as a solely somatic disease; however, emerging evidence underscores the extent to which its treatment and lived experience are profoundly mediated by spatial factors. This study undertakes a qualitative meta-synthesis of interdisciplinary literature to critically examine how diverse spatial environments—architectural, relational, ecological, and symbolic—constitute integral dimensions of cancer care. Drawing on empirical and theoretical contributions from psycho-oncology, environmental psychology, nursing science, and therapeutic design, the analysis advances the argument that space operates not as a passive setting but as an active co-constituent shaping physiological, psychological, and existential outcomes. The synthesis reveals that therapeutic architecture, relational closeness, ecological embeddedness, and symbolic spatial cues significantly affect patient well-being, caregiver capacity, and the efficacy of care delivery systems. These findings challenge the prevailing biomedical paradigms that marginalize spatial determinants and instead support the adoption of a relational-material framework for understanding and enhancing care. Spatial dimensions of healing—encompassing safety, familiarity, identity reinforcement, and continuity—are shown to promote resilience and agency, particularly within vulnerable settings such as home-based palliative care and survivorship programs. The paper concludes by emphasizing the imperative for spatial literacy within oncology education, practice, and policy. It calls for a reconceptualization of care environments that bridges the gap between empirical insights and clinical implementation, thereby advancing a model of cancer care that is ethically grounded and spatially responsive.