Medscape has an interesting CME article about social media use in their Emergency Medicine section that I thought was worth a mention. We talk a lot here about social media use by clinicians, but Medscape’s focus isn’t on what we put out into the ether about ourselves, but rather what we seek out and learn about patients online.
Frankly I’d never considered googling a patient before, but the article makes a good point about what’s available, and where the boundaries lay. It also addresses social media interactions between patients and providers. If you read the article make sure to follow the links to some interesting resources on social media and ethics. And of course, for our physician readers, get yourself a little CME credit while you’re at it: a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.