This article
discusses the dangers of social media (SM) in medicine while exploring how
specific changes in settings on sites like Facebook may be making SM a less
perilous environment for health professionals. It also provides illustrative
examples of three promising avenues through which SM can most contribute to
medicine:
1.
improving
communication with patients
2.
enhancing
professional development
3.
contributing
to public health research and service
The dangers of social
media:
Concerns about
liability, litigation, privacy, lack of time/compensation are valid and shared
across the spectrum of health professionals and medical professionals are wise
to be exceedingly cautious about any foray into SM. Examples:
1.
SM enables distasteful content to be publically
posted by med students, residents, and other healthcare providers.
2.
It “violates” the sanctity of the
patient-physician relationship by facilitating online “friendships” and
reducing privacy
To address these issues, the article describes ways in which
professional organizations, e.g., AMA, have published guidelines for the
ethical use of SM. Also, the authors elucidate on privacy
settings on social networking sites have begun to evolve in favor of greater
safety for physicians to facilitate such information-sharing.
The article points
out, however, that the tone and content of existing guidelines focus is proportionately on the risks rather
than the benefits of SM, and suggests an expectation of misuse rather than consideration
of how technologies might be used in a positive manner. Therefore, it raises the following topic:
Opportunities in social media:
There
are manifold opportunities for professionals to use vast social networks to
improve the wellbeing of patients and contribute to public health through the
provision of high quality health information. Examples:
1.
SM
can help extend care into the community and foster prevention without a massive
time commitment from medical professionals:
a.
Teams
of professionals using a joint Facebook Page to organize walking, running, or
weight-loss clubs, or using status updates to keep patients and families
informed about local events (i.e., farmers’ markets, 5k runs, weather
advisories, etc.)
b.
Encouraging
health screenings or mobilizing the community around local advocacy measures
such as the construction of walking paths, reduced emissions to improve air
quality, increased funding to fight obesity, etc.
2.
At
other levels of public health, organizations are using keyword content from
social networks – particularly the rapid micro-blogging site Twitter and other
location-based technologies – to track health and welfare, rapidly disseminate
information, and respond to disasters.
a.
The
CDC tracks Tweets for information pertaining to flu outbreaks while maintaining
an active presence on Twitter and Facebook to share frequent flu-related
updates.
3.
Medical
centers and hospitals have begun directly harnessing the viral power of SM to
spread health messaging throughout their regions of service.
a.
The
Mayo Clinic has been an international leader, establishing a Center for Social
Media devoted to cultivating a presence on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter and
offering patients a vast library of podcasts and blog posts written from health
professionals
As
a physician, I have struggled with some of the privacy issues surrounding SM,
but have also realized the many important potential benefits. As indicated in the article, I do also feel
that there needs to be a better understanding and undertaking of how exactly
the powerful tools of our age can be harnessed to promote individual and public
health as well as personal growth and development.
No comments:
Post a Comment