Top time for Hot Water in 2012?

“Personal profiles on Facebook and other social-networking sites are a trove of inappropriate and embarrassing photographs and discomfiting breaches of confidentiality. You might expect that from your friends and even some colleagues — but what about your doctor?” Time Magazine

This is current news in 2012, but if you look at the date of publication of this time article, it’s September 2009. Although this was published over two years ago, we think medical students are going to be coming under increasing scrutiny as the year unfolds.

It’s happened before, in the UK…

Remember people playing the lying down game? Roll back to Swindon, UK. A number of junior doctors were suspended for what many medical students and doctors considered hijinks: posing for photographs whilst lying down in unusual places. See our example of the latest MRI-PET scanner here:

It’s happening now…

A research paper from 2010 looked at a small group of medical students in Liverpool, UK. Over half had witnessed unprofessional behaviour by their colleagues on social media.

Dr Amy Cunningham, a lecturer from Cardiff University recently highlighted on Twitter and her blog about doctors using slang on social media, e.g. referring to ‘mad-wives’ instead of midwives. For her efforts, both she and the doctors in question were both applauded and criticised by healthcare professionals and different elements of the national press.

Help is at hand…

If things seem a bit blurry and you dont know who to turn to for advice, fear not – as we have compiled a handy list of references:

• From Your Institution – Check if you have guidelines at your University, and follow them!
• From Professional organisations
• From the MPS: The pitfalls of social networking
• From the BMA: Using social media: practical and ethical guidance for doctors and medical students
• From the AMA: Social Media and the Medical Profession: A guide to online professionalism for medical practitioners and medical students.
• Help From Within – We think ‘use your moral compass’ is a great adage. See the moral compass example of one experienced GP below.

Advice from an experienced user of social media

One of our medical professionals says this:

“I use this principle. If I wouldn’t be happy with any of: my mother, friends, work colleagues, peers, nurses, receptionists, patients, friends of patients, children of patients, professional licencing bodies, line manager seeing it, don’t post it. Do not post anything relating to your workplace, patients, or patient care online. If you have a grievance, use formal channels.”

What about anonymity online, protected tweets, protected postings?

“Just be careful. Is it worth risking your professional status over such minutia? The security of these areas is becoming increasing difficult to police. Don’t go there.”

Happy – and safe – tweeting in 2012!

Surely this is worth some correspondence to the editor about getting an up to date perspective on what these terms mean to their readership?

Or maybe its just us with our winter hangover…