Facebook and Professionalism
Does Facebook and other social networking services damage the profession of physicians or the public trust in this profession? So far no systematic research into this topic has been published. However several cases were presented in the media resulting in disciplinary measures. On social networking sites patients may learn information about their doctors that compromises the professional relationship. Threats to patient confidentiality is another danger of facebook and other social networking sites.
How to deal with this issue?
Well recently discovered the best solution to this problem. Don’t forbid the use of these sites or pose heavy restrictions on it’s use but instead educate medical students about the dangers. Teach them how to be professional on these sites, teach them professionalism. To my opinion the most mature way of dealing with it as well as an opportunity to use social networking sites to teach medical students one of the many competences: professionalism.
Medical educators can support students as they explore their developing sense of professionalism by designing courses or educational experiences that create communities of reflective practice on social networks such as Facebook. Such programmes could challenge
students to think critically about their online personae and the potential repercussions of online activity for themselves and for the profession.
Since data on facebook use by medical graduates are lacking a New Zealand group did a study with a cross sectional survey. They studied the extent of facebook use by junior doctors, the use of the privacy options and the nature of the material readily available to the public.
Results
A total of 220 (65%) graduates had Facebook accounts; 138 (63%) of these had activated their privacy options, restricting their
information to ‘Friends’. Of the remaining 82 accounts that were more publicly available, 30 (37%) revealed users’ sexual orientation, 13 (16%) revealed their religious views, 35 (43%) indicated their relationship status, 38 (46%) showed photographs of the users drinking alcohol, eight (10%) showed images of the users intoxicated and 37 (45%) showed photographs of the users engaged in healthy behaviours.
So only a quarter of all graduates did not use the privacy options and the information revealed could bring the profession in disrepute, breech the professional boundary between doctor and patient. Teaching medical students professionalism with the use of social networking sites is an unique opportunity for their education as well as for the profession. What do you think?
MacDonald, J., Sohn, S., & Ellis, P. (2010). Privacy, professionalism and Facebook: a dilemma for young doctors Medical Education, 44 (8), 805-813 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2010.03720.x
Brown, A. (2010). Social media: a new frontier in reflective practice Medical Education, 44 (8), 744-745 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2010.03729.x
Flickr
Twitter
RSS
LinkedIn
GoodReads
Last
July 26, 2010 @ 11:00 am
The same is true for the Education world. There are specific exclusions for us in Education – DON’T become friends with pupils. They tend to make it nice and simple in UK…or they start waving the Child Protection stick at you! I think I prefer the more mature “Be professional” approach.
Social Media in Health and Medicine: Medlibs Round 2.7 | Highlight HEALTH
August 11, 2010 @ 4:02 pm
[…] and other social networking services damage the profession of physicians or the public trust? Facebook and Professionalism […]
Medical Students’ Use of Facebook for Learning | Dr Shock MD PhD
December 16, 2010 @ 4:17 pm
[…] Facebook may be used for teaching professionalism for medical students but other options exist as well. Facebook could provide support for student collaboration student generated content, communication and socialization of student work. What is clear from several studies is that educators are not part of educational use of Facebook. Educators were not part of the educational Facebook groups. Again students use Facebook and other social media more willingly for education than the university’s on line learning management system. Facebook made it easy for students to initiate a study group quickly and informally. Then groups deployed its tools with varying success to exchange learning resources, information and advice and to maintain a sense of being in a learning community through announcements, conversations and records of shared activity. […]