Dermatoethics consultation

“You’d know if you ‘friended’ me on Facebook”: Legal, moral, and ethical considerations of online social media

The main objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of social media and Internet usage of orthopaedists and to determine its effects on patient–physician communication.

Data were collected by e-mail from 321 orthopaedists who filled out the questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of a total 25 items pertaining to personal information, which social media tool they use, their overall views of and expectations from social media, the effects of social media on patient–physician relationship and communication.

The rates of keeping in contact with patients and “often” helping patients to manage their treatments over social media increased with age (p < 0.05). It was found that the rate of helping patients to manage their treatments over social media was significantly higher in academicians compared to that in specialist physicians (p = 0.040). The rates of having a personal website and being a member of online physician platform and social-networking sites were higher in participants working in the private sector than participants working in the public sector (p = 0.001). It was found that the rate of finding it useful to be in contact with patients over social media was higher in physicians working in the private sector compared to that in those working in the public sector (p < 0.01).

Social media tools and Internet are commonly used by orthopaedists to communicate with their patients. Even though there are beneficial effects in patient–physician relationship, effective standards and regulations should be developed to enable a safe communication and to resolve ethical and legal uncertainties.

La utilización de las redes sociales e Internet como herramientas para buscar información médica por parte de los pacientes es ya un fenómeno cotidiano, y si los dermatólogos queremos participar en esa conversación, aportando contenidos de calidad, deberemos adaptarnos a este nuevo escenario e incorporar nuevas maneras de comunicarnos, tanto con pacientes como con otros profesionales.

Decenas de dermatólogos españoles han roto ya esa brecha digital y han empezado a aportar contenido relevante en forma de blogs, cuyos contenidos difunden a través de las redes sociales.

Pero la utilización de estas nuevas tecnologías no se encuentra exenta de riesgos desde un punto de vista ético y deontológico, además de poner en juego nuestra reputación digital.

Internet también conlleva una saturación por exceso de información, y el adecuado uso de ciertas herramientas puede evitar esa infoxicación y mejorar nuestra productividad.

The use by patients of social networking sites and the Internet to look for health related information has already become an everyday phenomenon. If, as dermatologists, we want to be part of this new conversation and provide quality content, we will have to adapt to digital media and find new ways of communicating with both our patients and our colleagues. Dozens of Spanish dermatologists have already ventured into the online space and have begun to provide important content through blogs, which they also disseminate via the social media. However, the use of these new technologies can also pose certain risks from the standpoint of ethics and our codes of practice and even place an individual's digital reputation in jeopardy. Another aspect of this new situation is that the Internet produces information saturation, and the appropriate use of certain tools can help to improve our productivity and prevent such information overload or infoxication.