![]() ![]() One such study asked members of the public, physician faculty members, and medical students to rate mock Facebook profiles of medical students depicting a range of behaviors. Several recent studies have begun to explore the perspectives of the public on professionalism and social media. In another study, analysis of data from focus groups of students found that there was general agreement that clear breaches of patient confidentiality are inappropriate, but there was little other common ground about appropriate online behavior ( 12). A recent large-scale survey study found that students reported divergent opinions about online professionalism in the non-academic use of social media: whereas some students believed that maintaining a professional image should not be context specific, many respondents felt that they should not be held to higher standards than the general public ( 11). Survey data suggest that most medical students report taking steps to limit the amount of information publicly available on social media profiles ( 5) however, there is no clear consensus about what constitutes appropriate or ‘professional’ in this realm. Finally, practicing physicians are not immune from these issues a survey of medical boards in the United States found that 57% had at least one instance of unprofessional online activity resulting in serious disciplinary action such as license suspension, restriction, or revocation ( 10). A small study of Taiwanese medical students suggested that increased self-reported use of social media sites such as Facebook was correlated with lower scores on a self-administered medical professionalism scale ( 9). An observational study of medical students’ profiles at a US medical school found that more than half of students’ profiles contained photographs depicting alcohol consumption, and 30% displayed professionally inappropriate content such as drunkenness, sexually suggestive attire, and potential violations of patient privacy, particularly in international settings ( 6). Although overt breaches of patient confidentiality were relatively unusual, posting of inappropriate material such as profane or derogatory language, sexually suggestive material, and depictions of substance use or intoxication were more common ( 8). A survey of US medical schools found that 60% of deans had dealt with incidents related to students’ posting of unprofessional content on the Internet. Although the body of research on the use of social media by students, residents, and practicing physicians is relatively new, these concerns seem well founded. With the rising use of social media by health care students and practitioners, there are increasing concerns about potential professionalism implications, particularly related to breaches of patient confidentiality, professional boundaries, and depiction of ‘unprofessional’ behaviors. Importantly, these types of studies likely underestimate the prevalence of social media use, as it is possible to ‘hide’ one's account using the platform's privacy settings or by simply setting up the account under a different name.Potential implications of social media use on professionalism A systematic search of Facebook for all medical students and residents at one American medical school in 2007 found that 45% of medical trainees had a Facebook account ( 6), and a follow-up study at the same institution 2 years later found that this had increased to 40% of residents and 70% of medical students ( 7). ![]() Voluntary anonymous surveys have found that between 75 and 96% of students and residents self-report as active Facebook users ( 3– 5). Several studies have attempted to quantify medical student and resident use of social media sites such as Facebook. ![]() Social media is playing an increasing role in medical education a recent meta-analysis ( 2) details a number of potential benefits of further integration of social media into education, including improved learner engagement, collaboration, and feedback. With the burgeoning use of sites such as Facebook and Twitter, individuals are able to easily share a great deal of information with a wide audience, including personal details which previously would be shared only within a circle of closer acquaintances. As of January 2013, more than 18 million Canadians were Facebook users, which comprises 65% of the online population ( 1). In recent years, the use of social networking sites such as Facebook has become nearly ubiquitous among Canadian post-secondary students. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |