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
    What Are the Benefits of CBD?
    November 27, 2021
    How to Measure Adult Diapers- The Ultimate Guide to Picking the Right Size
    March 8, 2022
    medicine cabinet
    The Effect Of Finished Dosage Form Manufacturing In New Drugs
    July 5, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 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
    Tooth Decay Marielaina Perrone DDS
    Is Your Child’s Education Affected By Tooth Decay?
    December 13, 2012
    Image
    Millions of Americans Could Lose ACA Subsidies
    July 21, 2014
    Image
    IVF: The Three Biggest Myths
    March 22, 2013
    Latest News
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 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
Last updated: April 16, 2013 8:28 am
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

recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
Mental Health
June 18, 2025
healthcare facilities
Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
Global Healthcare Infographics
June 15, 2025

You Might also Like

medical school lending
Medical EducationPolicy & Law

Why Refinancing Medical School Lending Makes Sense

November 19, 2020

Price Transparency Is Nice, But All-Payer Is Better

November 17, 2011

A Theory on Why The FDA Hid Conflicts of Interest

January 15, 2012

Elective Coronary Stenting: A Case in Context

August 3, 2011
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?