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Capsule Commentary on Rocha et al., Opinions of Students from a Brazilian Medical School on Online Professionalism
Carol Gonsalves, MD FRCPC MMEd
Department of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
J Gen Intern Med 29(5):787DOI: 10.1007/s11606-014-2796-y Society of General Internal Medicine 2014
S ocial media is the communication medium of choiceformany.Whileusersofonlineforumsandnetworking sites may make the distinction between personal and professional posts, posts intended as personal can have negative professional ramifications. Rocha et al.1 surveyed 350 Brazilian Medical Students on the frequency with which they had observed ten categorized unprofessional online behaviours. These ranged from 14 % (patient privacy) to 85 % (photos of alcohol consumption). Lapses in patient privacy were universally condemned. Other unprofessional behaviors, such as posing in bathing suits, were judged neutrally.
Some differences in professional expectations as they apply to...