Physician, Monitor Thyself: Professionalism and Accountability in the Use of Social Media
Abstract
The recent report of the AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA), "Professionalism in the Use of Social Media," describes the types of social media medical professionals use, outlines ways in which existing AMA policies address issues of online professionalism, and makes a list of recommendations for physicians to maintain online professionalism. CEJA recommends directed efforts towards educating physicians about the benefits and pitfalls of social media and, in particular, underscores the difficulties of maintaining professional boundaries in the digital age. In this commentary, we highlight issues introduced by the report and suggest some specific ways that the recommendations of the committee can be implemented by medical schools, residency programs, and practicing physicians.
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Prior literature has highlighted both benefits and risks of social media in healthcare, but there remains limited understanding of how generational perspectives shape views of professionalism in healthcare social media use.
“Prior literature has highlighted both benefits and risks of social media in healthcare,4–13 but there remains limited understanding of how generational perspectives shape views of professionalism in healthcare social media use.”
From Evaluating perceptions of social media professionalism by healthcare workers (2026) · cites this paper as [12]
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- Authors
- Lagu, T., & Ryan Greysen, S.
- Affiliations
- Tufts University (US)
- ORCID
- Lagu, Tara
- Venue
- The Journal of Clinical Ethics
- Publisher
- University of Chicago Press
- Published
- 2011-06-01
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 187-190
- ISSN
- 1046-7890 (ISSN-L)
- 1945-5879
- OpenAlex
- W1549314110
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 5.61
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Clinical Ethics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Social Media in Health Education
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Innovations in Medical Education
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmacology › Pharmaceutical industry and healthcare
- Keywords
- social media, physician professionalism, professional accountability, professional boundaries, online professionalism, physician training, medical schools, residency training, physician-patient relationship
- MeSH terms
- American Medical Association, Ethics, Medical, Humans, Physician-Patient Relations, Physicians, Social Environment, Social Responsibility, United States, Liability, Legal, Guidelines as Topic, Privacy, Guideline Adherence, Internet, Advisory Committees
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