Social Media Decorum for Medical Professionals: The Crowded Elevator Rule

Source: The Writing Cooperative

Social media blurs the barriers between professional and personal lives.

How should healthcare professionals maintain a social media presence without compromising professional appearance?

This manuscript published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons is a timely best practices guidance for social media use by surgeons, applicable to all healthcare professionals.

Some of the recommendations are both straightforward and commonsense such as not using social media as a tool for patient-physician communication and always protecting patient confidentiality.  Also, avoid posting content that may have negative or unintended consequences in the workplace. Last, the article recommends that surgeons should actively maintain a professional online profile.

I agree with all of the above.

Personally, I try to follow one inviolate rule: never post anything online that I would not be comfortable saying in a crowded elevator.  

It works for me.