Beyond Good and Evil: Exploring Medical Trainee Use of Social Media

Abstract

Background: Medicine has struggled to integrate a new generation of social media technologies. Rather than focusing on the promise of these emerging tools, the academic literature is replete with admonishments of how social media pose a danger to medical professionals, and guidelines regarding social media are written with expectations of misuse rather than consideration of positive application. Summary: To better learn how new technology might be integrated into professional lives, it is imperative to seek perspectives from younger trainees who have already begun navigating the unique professional and ethical dilemmas posed by social media and might assist in identifying innovative uses of existing tools. Conclusions: The views and practices of current trainees can provide important insight into the proactive role social media can play in the delivery of more effective health care during an era in which social media usage is invariably increasing for medical professionals and patients. © 2012 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.