Modern medical, public health, and social welfare environments are organic ecosystems in which numerous patients, physicians, nurses, hospitals, and community organizations interact closely. The continuous care process spanning disease prevention, treatment, and follow-up care does not occur in a vacuum, and the “structure of relationships” intertwined among actors has a major impact on health outcomes and the quality of care.

In this context, Social Network Analysis (SNA) has drawn attention as a methodology that quantifies and visualizes complex interactions to provide deeper insights beyond the mere sum of individual elements. SNA scientifically diagnoses not only who communicates with whom, but also where information bottlenecks occur, which actors connect the boundaries of the system, and which structural characteristics lead to organizational resilience or negative patient outcomes. By mapping the invisible connections that exist within healthcare systems, policymakers and frontline practitioners gain concrete evidence to optimize resource allocation and repair communication breakdowns.

This article examines how SNA is being used in healthcare and nursing settings through four themes.

• The macro-level integration of systems among health organizations,
• The micro-level sharing of knowledge within nursing organizations,
• Partnership networks for ensuring food security in communities,
• and organically emerging peer support for mental health in online spaces,

it seeks to explore, through various research cases, how networks function as maps that improve real-world healing and care.

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