QUESTION: is social media a valuable outreach tool for physicians?
METHODS: expert debate
RESULTS:
Dr Anne Marie Cunningham takes the view that physicians should have a strong social media presence. Physicians benefit from access to a global community of peers and leaders.
Professor DeCamp argues that the use of social media places doctors at a professional and ethical risk and is essentially a waste of time. Social media makes it more difficult to maintain a distinction between the private and the professional aspects of a physician's life.
CONCLUSION: Both experts agree that specific guidelines and guidance are needed to ensure that physicians optimally benefit from social media and avoid known risks.
J R Coll Physicians Edinb. 2013;43(4):318-22
METHODS: expert debate
RESULTS:
Dr Anne Marie Cunningham takes the view that physicians should have a strong social media presence. Physicians benefit from access to a global community of peers and leaders.
Professor DeCamp argues that the use of social media places doctors at a professional and ethical risk and is essentially a waste of time. Social media makes it more difficult to maintain a distinction between the private and the professional aspects of a physician's life.
CONCLUSION: Both experts agree that specific guidelines and guidance are needed to ensure that physicians optimally benefit from social media and avoid known risks.
J R Coll Physicians Edinb. 2013;43(4):318-22
