By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    An Expert’s Guide To Building and Improving Endurance
    June 30, 2022
    medical assistants
    What Do Medical Assistants Do On a Day to Day Basis?
    April 5, 2022
    superfoods to help with prostate health
    10 Healthy Foods That Can Help Protect Your Prostate
    August 29, 2022
    Latest News
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    pfizer and clinical data transparency
    Pfizer to Expand Clinical Trial Data Access, Takes Step Toward Transparency
    December 6, 2013
    Improving Healthcare Services And Management Through Tech Integration
    June 9, 2020
    obamacare and the uninsured
    Why Hospitals Are Still Gouging the Uninsured
    January 7, 2014
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: New Policy Statement on Online Medical Professionalism
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Medical Ethics > New Policy Statement on Online Medical Professionalism
eHealthMedical EthicsPolicy & LawSocial Media

New Policy Statement on Online Medical Professionalism

David Harlow
David Harlow
Share
4 Min Read
healthcare social media
SHARE

The American College of Physicians (ACP) Ethics, Professionalism, and Human Rights Committee; the ACP Council of Associates; and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) Special Committee on Ethics and Professionalism spent 18 months developing a policy statement on online medical professionalism, and it was published in April 2013 in the ACP’s Annals of Internal Medicine. The policy may be boiled down to its five key position statements:

The American College of Physicians (ACP) Ethics, Professionalism, and Human Rights Committee; the ACP Council of Associates; and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) Special Committee on Ethics and Professionalism spent 18 months developing a policy statement on online medical professionalism, and it was published in April 2013 in the ACP’s Annals of Internal Medicine. The policy may be boiled down to its five key position statements:

healthcare social mediaPosition 1: Use of online media can bring significant educational benefits to patients and physicians, but may also pose ethical challenges. Maintaining trust in the profession and in patient–physician relationships requires that physicians consistently apply ethical principles for preserving the relationship, confidentiality, privacy, and respect for persons to online settings and communications.

Position 2: The boundaries between professional and social spheres can blur online. Physicians should keep the 2 spheres separate and comport themselves professionally in both.

Position 3: E-mail or other electronic communications should only be used by physicians in an established patient–physician relationship and with patient consent. Documentation about patient care communications should be included in the patient’s medical record.

Position 4: Physicians should consider periodically “self-auditing” to assess the accuracy of information available about them on physician-ranking Web sites and other sources online.

Position 5: The reach of the Internet and online communications is far and often permanent. Physicians, trainees, and medical students should be aware that online postings may have future implications for their professional lives.   

In addition to these five core positions the paper offers detailed discussion of each, reaching some conclusions in how to manage the issues raised by the use of social media and other online tools.  For example, the balancing act described in Position 1 is further explicated thus:

The initial decision about whether to extend the patient–physician relationship to the online setting includes the following factors: the intended purpose of the exchange and the content of conversation; the immediacy of electronic media and expectations, including response time; how communication will take place (for example, through social networking sites, microblogging, or professional e-mail on a protected server) while maintaining confidentiality; and how emergency or urgent situations will be managed.

While the policies and the related discussions are relatively cautious, they do open up the use of social media to a broad array of physicians who may have been waiting for a policy statement such as this with the imprimatur of both the ACP the state boards of registration in medicine. 

Let’s hope that the new entrants on the health care social media field begin to use these tools in productive ways to foster greater interaction among health care providers and between health care providers and patients.

The benefits that accrue to those who are active in health care social media are still available to new entrants at this point in time; there are still relatively few physicians with a professional presence in social media, and there are innumerable patients, caregivers and others searching online for credible resources.

(image: online medical professionalism / shutterstock)

TAGGED:doctor/patient relationshipHealth IT
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025
paramedics in surgical gloves and masks
How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
Health care
July 16, 2025

You Might also Like

Telehealth Today, Not Tomorrow

December 4, 2011
Image
eHealthMedical Innovations

5 Ways Big Data Is Improving Patient Outcomes

April 9, 2014

Tracking Health Indicators: The Role of mHealth Technologies in Improving Outcomes

January 31, 2013
mental health loss loved one
Policy & Law

Covering Your Own Medical Issues After Losing a Loved One

July 18, 2024
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?