Guidelines for maintaining a professional compass in the era of social networking

Matthew P Landman; Julia Shelton; Rondi M Kauffmann; Jeffery B Dattilo

doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2010.07.006

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Guidelines for maintaining a professional compass in the era of social networking

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Guidelines for maintaining a professional compass in the era of social networking

Matthew P Landman, Julia Shelton, Rondi M Kauffmann and Jeffery B Dattilo

Journal of surgical education, Vol.67(6), pp.381-386

11/2010

DOI: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2010.07.006

PMCID: PMC4000745

PMID: 21156295

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Abstract

The use of social networking (SN) sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, has skyrocketed during the past 5 years, with more than 400 million current users. What was once isolated to high schools or college campuses has become increasingly ubiquitous in everyday life and across a multitude of industries. Medical centers and residency programs are not immune to this invasion. These sites present opportunities for the rapid dissemination of information from status updates, to tweets, to medical support groups, and even clinical communication between patients and providers. Although powerful, this technology also opens the door for misuse and policies for use will be necessary. We strive to begin a discourse in the surgical community in regard to maintaining professionalism while using SN sites. The use of SN sites among surgical house staff and faculty has not been addressed previously. To that end, we sought to ascertain the use of the SN site Facebook at our residency program. Of 88 residents and 127 faculty, 56 (64%) and 28 (22%), respectively, have pages on Facebook. Of these, 50% are publicly accessible. Thirty-one percent of the publicly accessible pages had work-related comments posted, and of these comments, 14% referenced specific patient situations or were related to patient care. Given the widespread use of SN websites in our surgical community and in society as a whole, every effort should be made to guard against professional truancy. We offer a set of guidelines consistent with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American College of Surgeons professionalism mandates in regard to usage of these websites. By acknowledging this need and by following these guidelines, surgeons will continue to define and uphold ethical boundaries and thus demonstrate a commitment to patient privacy and the highest levels of professionalism.

Guidelines as Topic

Cross-Sectional Studies

Professional Competence

Humans

Middle Aged

Tennessee

Internet - statistics & numerical data

Social Support

Male

Academic Medical Centers

Faculty, Medical - statistics & numerical data

Internship and Residency - statistics & numerical data

Internet - standards

Adult

Female

Surveys and Questionnaires

General Surgery - standards

Details

Title: Subtitle: Guidelines for maintaining a professional compass in the era of social networking
Creators: Matthew P Landman - Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2730, USA
Julia Shelton
Rondi M Kauffmann
Jeffery B Dattilo
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of surgical education, Vol.67(6), pp.381-386
Publisher: United States
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2010.07.006
PMID: 21156295
PMCID: PMC4000745
ISSN: 1931-7204
eISSN: 1878-7452
Grant note: 5T32DK007061-35 / NIDDK NIH HHS T32 DK007061 / NIDDK NIH HHS T32 HS013833-08 / AHRQ HHS
Language: English
Date published: 11/2010
Academic Unit: Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Surgery
Record Identifier: 9984051763102771

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