Richard Booth*, Western University, London, Canada Osman Ahmed*, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Carol Bond*, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom Chris Paton*, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom Track: Research Presentation Topic: Ethical & legal issues, confidentiality and privacy Presentation Type: Panel Submission Type: Panel Presentation Building: Mermaid Room: Room 4 - Queenshithe Date: 2013-09-23 02:00 PM – 02:45 PM Last modified: 2013-09-25

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The rise of social media in recent years has generated a number of emerging ethical and privacy implications in healthcare, clinical education, and research settings. Within practice settings, the increased use of social platforms which were not designed to be health technologies is on the rise. Similarly, clinicians interacting with patients and consumers via these social platforms has been an emerging trend in specific areas of the health sector (e.g., in the domain of public health). Within academic and university settings, clinician education has witnessed a significant increase in the use of social media, either as a facilitator of education or more commonly as an adjunct education modality. Currently there is a lack of knowledge regarding the use of social media within clinician education, a situation further complicated by various socio-technical considerations that also influence ethical and privacy perspectives.

At present, little is known regarding the ethical implications generated through the increased interactivity and engagement fostered by the use of social technologies in healthcare. The discussion that has occurred to date has been historically muted in this respect for both practice and education purposes. Comparatively little work has been completed in the scholarly discourse examining some of the larger ethical considerations of social technologies in relation to long-term sustainability, functionality, and evolving professional boundaries. Gaining a deeper appreciation to the various ethical implications (now and in the future) of using social media in the healthcare settings will be imperative in the domains of both practice and education.

In this panel discussion, the presenters will provide specific perspectives of ethical issues and considerations that emerge when using social technologies in clinical practice and academic areas. Osman Ahmed, a chartered physiotherapist and PhD candidate at the University of Otago (New Zealand) will highlight some of the ethical issues encountered in a pilot study which used Facebook as an adjunct to traditional medical care for young persons with a sports concussion. Richard Booth, a registered nurse and PhD candidate at Western University (Canada) will provide an overview of the potential ethical considerations observed in their Public Health Unit’s use of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to connect with health consumers. Dr. Carol S Bond, a registered nurse and Senior Lecturer at Bournemouth University (England), will discuss the use of data from discussion boards in health research, the ethical dilemmas this may create and some possible solutions. Dr. Chris Paton, a physician and Clinical Research Fellow at University of Oxford (England) will moderate the panel and offer insights from his experience in social media and health informatics to complement and summarize the knowledge presented.

As a collective, this panel will explore and deconstruct current day exemplars, and provide insight into the long-term ethical and privacy considerations arising from the use of social platforms in practice, education, and research. Similarly, the panel will also discuss future implications for the development of policy and practice guidelines to foster growth and ethical use of social technologies in healthcare.