Social Media, E‐Health, and Medical Ethics

Abstract

New ways of sharing information are changing medical practice, doctor-patient relationships, public health, and health research. Bioethicists have a role to play in developing standards of conduct for health professionals who use social media and e-health platforms and in the design of the systems themselves.

Welcoming the “Intel‐ethicist”

“…In this issue of the Hastings Center Report , Mélanie Terrasse, Moti Gorin, and Dominic Sisti urge ethicists to devote scholarly attention to a wave of troubling artificial intelligence applications affecting health consumers’ rights and the quality of their care . I very much agree.…”

In the Era of Social Media: Is it time to establish a code of online ethical conduct for healthcare professionals?

“…15 Online information may only be partially accurate and not fully represent an individual's case. 16 Even factual information can cause confusion or unnecessary anxiety; for example, an individual with iron-deficiency anaemia may think that they have cancer upon reading 'fatigue' as a symptom of cancer. Fake accounts, which present false credentials or profiles that pose as someone they are not by using a real doctor's name, are harmful as they disseminate inaccurate information which can harm patients' health and affect public trust in the profession.…”

“…A healthcare professional should not post anything unless they would be comfortable if that content went public. 16 Doctors and healthcare providers can ethically use social media to communicate with colleagues, for public education, to advertise their services or to pro-Amal A. Al Balushi Sounding Board | e27 mote products that they think would be beneficial. 2 However, it would be unethical to promote a specific pharmaceutical product or company.…”

Ethical Use of Social Media Data: Beyond the Clinical Context

“…In “Social Media, e‐Health, and Medical Ethics,” in this issue of the Hastings Center Report , Mélanie Terrasse, Moti Gorin, and Dominic Sisti address and suggest recommendations for several ethical issues central to the systematic ethical analysis of the effects of social media on clinical practice, health services research, and public health . The topic is as timely as it is important: social media data collected by device and web applications are constantly increasing and might have both individual and public health benefits.…”