Open AccessSocial Media and Professional Conduct (SMART): Best Practice Guidelines from the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN)
Author(s) -
Mehul Desai,
Nasir Khatri,
Jonathan M Hagedorn,
Natalie Strand,
Ryan S D’Souza,
Vinicius Tieppo Francio,
Alaa AbdElsayed,
David W. Lee,
Erika Petersen,
Johnathan Goree,
Jacqueline Weisbein,
Timothy R. Deer
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of pain research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 49
ISSN - 1178-7090
DOI - 10.2147/jpr.s366978
Subject(s) - social media , medicine , best practice , professional association , public relations , friendship , the internet , medical education , professional conduct , internet privacy , psychology , law , social psychology , world wide web , political science , computer science
Social media has revolutionized internet communication and become ubiquitous in modern life. Though it originated as a medium for friendship, social media has evolved into an ideal venue for professional networking, scientific exchange, and brand building. As such, it is a powerful tool with which interventional pain physicians should become familiar. However, given the permanence and visibility of online posts, it is prudent for interventional pain physicians to utilize social media in a manner that is consistent with the ethical and professionalism standards to which they are held by their patients, employers, peers, and state medical boards. While there are extensive publications of professional codes of conduct by medical societies, there is a paucity of literature regarding social media best practices guidelines. Further, to date there have been no social media best practices recommendations specific to interventional pain medicine physicians. While not exhaustive, the aim of this document is to provide recommendations to pain physicians on how to maintain an effective professional and ethical online presence. Specifically, we provide guidance on online persona and professional image, patient-physician interactions online, patient privacy, industry relations, patient education, and brand building.