Social media is being adopted by a range of NHS services to increase accessibility to information and health services for all ages. This is especially so for services aimed at younger people – for example, in 2011, NHS Choices reported that it had over 60,000 followers and ‘fans’ across a range of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.18 Its staff members correspond directly with members of the public to signpost them to relevant information and services:
Doctors have always had a responsibility to communicate with patients – and to do this in the places where patients do their communicating, whether that be in their homes, their local communities or the online environment. Social media has the potential to fundamentally alter how doctors communicate with the public and vice versa. We must ensure that we are all aware of this and that we understand how to practise safely.
As keen users of social media ourselves, we believe it offers enormous potential benefits for doctors and patients. But there is nothing ‘unique’ about the values that underpin how doctors behave and interact in this new environment. The enduring principles that we follow to maintain our professionalism are applicable to both the on- and offline worlds.
Senior and more experienced doctors, who were not brought up in the online culture, may have a responsibility to become more technically skilled and social media savvy. We hope this Code will empower those who have yet to take their tentative first steps across this new frontier, by reassuring them that they won’t
need to develop an alien set of skills to survive on the other side.
Conversely, some younger doctors, who may be less experienced professionally but have been brought up as proficient digital natives, may need to consider how to adapt their habitual online behaviors to take account of their less familiar professional responsibilities.
As keen users of social media ourselves, we believe it offers enormous potential benefits for doctors and patients. But there is nothing ‘unique’ about the values that underpin how doctors behave and interact in this new environment. The enduring principles that we follow to maintain our professionalism are applicable to both the on- and offline worlds.
Senior and more experienced doctors, who were not brought up in the online culture, may have a responsibility to become more technically skilled and social media savvy. We hope this Code will empower those who have yet to take their tentative first steps across this new frontier, by reassuring them that they won’t
need to develop an alien set of skills to survive on the other side.
Conversely, some younger doctors, who may be less experienced professionally but have been brought up as proficient digital natives, may need to consider how to adapt their habitual online behaviors to take account of their less familiar professional responsibilities.
The principles that determine ‘professional’ online behavior are similar to the principles in the unwritten code adopted by cowboys in the frontier of the newly discovered Wild West. These include honesty, hospitality, fair play, loyalty, trust, consideration and respect. These professional values are enduring – with the advent of social media, it is mainly the context in which they must be applied that has changed.
Advice that users of social media shared with us:
• Consider how the total body of information and images you post online contribute to the impression that others might form of you, both professionally and personally, and how this in turn can influence how your future online and offline behavior will be interpreted
• Learn how to use the privacy and profile settings of the social media tools you use, while also understanding their limitations – remember that, as a doctor, you might need to set the privacy settings at a higher level than the default settings
• Remember to clarify when you are commenting professionally or personally about an issue – although commenting personally does not excuse you from your professional obligations
• Be aware that most social media sites do not guarantee confidentiality regardless of the level of privacy settings in place. Remember that ‘private’ or direct messages may not be secure and may be accessible to the staff of the organisations running those sites (so should not be used for confidential communications about or with patients)
• Maintaining an appropriate balance between your life as a private individual and your responsibilities as a professional will require the application of judgement and experience.
• Consider how the total body of information and images you post online contribute to the impression that others might form of you, both professionally and personally, and how this in turn can influence how your future online and offline behavior will be interpreted
• Learn how to use the privacy and profile settings of the social media tools you use, while also understanding their limitations – remember that, as a doctor, you might need to set the privacy settings at a higher level than the default settings
• Remember to clarify when you are commenting professionally or personally about an issue – although commenting personally does not excuse you from your professional obligations
• Be aware that most social media sites do not guarantee confidentiality regardless of the level of privacy settings in place. Remember that ‘private’ or direct messages may not be secure and may be accessible to the staff of the organisations running those sites (so should not be used for confidential communications about or with patients)
• Maintaining an appropriate balance between your life as a private individual and your responsibilities as a professional will require the application of judgement and experience.