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Cited by 161Social Media in Health EducationImpact of Technology on AdolescentsInnovations in Medical Education

Social media policies at US medical schools

Open access
Kind, Terry, Genrich, Gillian, Sodhi, Avneet, Chretien, Katherine C.·2010·Medical Education Online
DOI 10.3402/meo.v15i0.5324PMC PMC2941429
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Abstract

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Today's medical students are learning in a social media era in which patient confidentiality is at risk yet schools' social media policies have not been elucidated. The purpose of this study is to describe the presence of medical schools on top social media sites and to identify whether student policies for these schools explicitly address social media use. METHOD: Websites of all 132 accredited US medical schools were independently assessed by two investigators for their presence (as of March 31, 2010) on the most common social networking and microblogging sites (Facebook and Twitter) and their publicly available policies addressing online social networking. Key features from these policies are described. RESULTS: 100% (n=132) of US medical schools had websites and 95.45% (126/132) had any Facebook presence. 25.76% (34/132) had official medical school pages, 71.21% (94/132) had student groups, and 54.55% (72/132) had alumni groups on Facebook. 10.6% of medical schools (14/132) had Twitter accounts. 128 of 132 medical schools (96.97%) had student guidelines or policies publicly available online. 13 of these 128 schools (10.16%) had guidelines/policies explicitly mentioning social media. 38.46% (5/13) of these guidelines included statements that defined what is forbidden, inappropriate, or impermissible under any circumstances, or mentioned strongly discouraged online behaviors. 53.85% (7/13) encouraged thoughtful and responsible social media use. CONCLUSIONS: Medical schools and their students are using social media. Almost all US medical schools have a Facebook presence, yet most do not have policies addressing student online social networking behavior. While social media use rises, policy informing appropriate conduct in medical schools lags behind. Established policies at some medical schools can provide a blueprint for others to adopt and adapt.

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  • Various concerns about potential professionalism implications exist, particularly related to breaches of patient confidentiality, professional boundaries, and depiction of unprofessional behaviors.

    “Various concerns about potential professionalism implications [151-153] exist, particularly related to breaches of patient confidentiality, professional boundaries, and depiction of unprofessional behaviors.”

    From Dangers and Benefits of Social Media on E-Professionalism of Health Care Professionals: Scoping Review (2021) · cites this paper as [151]

  • Ten years ago, many schools lacked policies specific to social media use, but nowadays schools have developed specific guidelines.

    “Ten years ago, many schools lacked policies specific to SM use [151], but nowadays schools have developed specific guidelines [169,170].”

    From Dangers and Benefits of Social Media on E-Professionalism of Health Care Professionals: Scoping Review (2021) · cites this paper as [151]

  • Of the 128 U.S. allopathic medical schools with policies publicly available online, only 13 (10.16%) had guidelines and/or policies explicitly mentioning social media.

    “Of the 128 schools who had policies publically available online, only 13 (10.16%)had guidelines and/or policies explicitly mentioning social media.”

    From e-Professionalism: A New Frontier in Medical Education (2013) · cites this paper as [26]

  • Of the 13 schools with social media policies, five (38.46%) defined unacceptable or strongly discouraged online behaviors, whereas seven (53.85%) encouraged thoughtful and responsible use of social media.

    “Five (38.46%) defined unacceptable or strongly discouraged online behaviors, whereas seven (53.85%) encouraged thoughtful and responsible use of social media.”

    From e-Professionalism: A New Frontier in Medical Education (2013) · cites this paper as [26]

  • Published social media guidelines from national medical organizations and medical school policies often lack specific behavioral guidance or definitions of professionalism for the online space.

    “Published social media guidelines by national medical organizations and medical school social media policies often lack specific behavioral guidance or definitions of professionalism as applied to the online space.39,40”

    From Social Media and Clinical Care: Ethical, Professional, and Social Implications (2013) · cites this paper as [39]

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Authors
Kind, T., Genrich, G., Sodhi, A., & Chretien, K. C.
Affiliations
  • Children's National (US)
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • George Washington University (US)
Corresponding author
Kind, Terry
ORCID
Venue
Medical Education Online
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2010-01
Volume
15
Issue
1
Pages
5324
ISSN
1087-2981 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3402/meo.v15i0.5324
PMC
PMC2941429
OpenAlex
W2031569140
Cited by
161
References
16
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 27
FWCI
18.30
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc
Locations
  • Medical Education Online (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Association of American Medical Colleges
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Social Media in Health Education
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Innovations in Medical Education
Keywords
social media policy, medical schools, medical students, Facebook, Twitter, social networking, microblogging, patient confidentiality, online behavior
MeSH terms
Confidentiality, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Schools, Medical, Students, Medical, United States, Organizational Policy, Internet, Blogging

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