Social media tools provide a unique set of opportunities in healthcare, but with these new opportunities come a number of potential challenges. As health leaders navigate the increasingly complex world of social media, concerns have arisen regarding questions of ethics and professionalism and how the use of social media fits within the social contract between the medical profession and society.
A paper that I co-wrote, describes the changing parameters of professional conduct in digital environments and proposes a set of considerations and recommendations for health leaders to navigate this new frontier.
Leveraging social media in healthcare requires a careful reflection of ethical implications. Healthcare leaders will need to apply principles of professionalism to new settings to establish guidelines and policies for ethical conduct. Ongoing discussion regarding the role of social media in healthcare is necessary as both the technology and our understanding of it continue to evolve and increasingly influence the healthcare landscape.
Read the paper Social media networks and leadership ethics in healthcare
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