Monday, August 22, 2011

Physician Online Behavior: Professionalism and Social Media

Mark Ryan, a Virginia family physician, wrote a blog post for Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media three weeks ago, reviewing the many definitions of "professional behavior" for physicians and how that might apply to our social media interactions.

It is apparent to me that what is considered appropriate or not for physicians using social media (eg, should you friend a patient on Facebook?) is still being tested and figured out. However, Mark's post reminds us that there are certain principles that remain immutable, despite the technology.

3 comments:

Dinah said...

So how does Shrink Rap do at following these guidelines?

Anonymous said...

Well, first tell me how many of your patients actively participate on Shrink Rap. Or do you treat every Anonymous as you treat your patients?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous, wouldn't it be funny if several patients were interacting on the site as Anonymouses?
Physicians online behavior may be very professional but often their kids post stuff that should remain private. Family vacation pics, I hate my parents status updates, the world of social media is beyond the control of any individual.