From scrubs to screens: A hashtag analysis study of #Nursetok on TikTok

<i>Background:</i> TikTok has become a popular platform for healthcare communication, with #Nursetok enables nurses to share experiences, education, and professional insights. Research on the content, engagement, and educational value of these videos remains limited.<i>Objective:</i> To analyze #Nursetok video content, creator demographics, engagement metrics, and information quality, assessing the role of TikTok in nursing practice and education.<i>Methods:</i> On April 30th, 2024, 100 English-language nursing-related TikTok videos under #Nursetok were selected. Metadata included publisher type, gender, views, likes, comments, shares, and saves. Videos were evaluated for understandability and actionability using PEMAT-A/V and quality using DISCERN. Each video was independently reviewed by two healthcare professionals, with a third resolving discrepancies.<i>Results:</i> Most videos (96%) were created by registered nurses; 68% by females. Content was primarily entertainment (45%) and healthcare professional perspectives (29%), with educational content comprising 10%. Average video length was 0.58 min, with mean views of 5.1 million, 533,803 likes, 2,632 comments, 21,707 shares, and 26,715 saves. PEMAT-A/V scores indicated moderate understandability (57%) but low actionability (13%). DISCERN ratings averaged 23.6%, reflecting moderate to poor quality.<i>Conclusions:</i> #Nursetok is predominantly nurse-driven and entertainment-focused, with limited actionable or educational content. Future directions include diversifying contributors, incorporating interprofessional perspectives and developing evidence-based, simulation or case-based content to enhance its value for professional development in nursing.