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Cited by 57Social Media in Health EducationInnovations in Medical EducationImpact of Technology on Adolescents

Social media guidelines: a review for health professionals and faculty members

Open access
Hennessy, Catherine M, Smith, Claire F, Greener, Sue, Ferns, Gordon·2019·The Clinical Teacher
DOI 10.1111/tct.13033
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Abstract

Summary: Background: The rising societal use of social media has encouraged health professionals to use social media in their professional activities; however, this can be a daunting task, particularly for those who are uncertain about the boundaries for the professional use of social media. This article summarises the guidelines provided by medical governing bodies on social media use and provides practical advice on how social media can be used, which is transferrable across the health professions. Methods: Nine guidance documents published by medical governing bodies in major international English‐speaking countries were reviewed and analysed to identify their key common messages. Findings: Five key themes were identified across all of the guidance documents, as follows: maintain patient confidentiality; defamation is unacceptable; privacy cannot be guaranteed; responsibility to maintain public trust; and reasons to use social media. Conclusions: The guidelines predominantly focus on the risks of using social media. Although this is necessary, it is likely to inhibit the exploration of the potential uses of social media in health care education and practice. All of the guidance documents from governing bodies encourage the use of social media to engage with patients and to network with colleagues; however, there is relatively little practical guidance on how to use social media as a health professional. This article offers some practical advice for faculty members who wish to run development sessions on how to use social media for professional purposes. … there is relatively little practical guidance on how to use social media as a health professional

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Crossref · 10.1111/tct.13033

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  • Guidelines for social media use are available from numerous professional societies, and a recent review about available guidelines from nine medical international bodies has been published.

    “Guidelines are also available from numerous professional societies [171-178], and a recent review about available guidelines from nine medical international bodies has been published [179].”

    From Dangers and Benefits of Social Media on E-Professionalism of Health Care Professionals: Scoping Review (2021) · cites this paper as [179]

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Authors
Hennessy, C. M., Smith, C. F., Greener, S., & Ferns, G.
Affiliations
  • Brighton and Sussex Medical School (GB)
  • University of Brighton (GB)
Corresponding author
Hennessy, Catherine M
ORCID
Venue
The Clinical Teacher
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2019-05-29
Volume
16
Issue
5
Pages
442-447
ISSN
  • 1743-4971 (ISSN-L)
  • 1743-498X
DOI
10.1111/tct.13033
OpenAlex
W2947657084
Cited by
57
References
11
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 10
FWCI
5.35
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • The Clinical Teacher (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Sussex Research Online (University of Sussex) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • University of Brighton Repository (University of Brighton) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Social Media in Health Education
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Innovations in Medical Education
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Keywords
social media, professional conduct, professional guidelines, patient confidentiality, defamation, privacy, public trust, health professions, faculty development, healthcare education, professional boundaries
MeSH terms
Faculty, Medical, Humans, Physicians, Guidelines as Topic, Social Media

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