Developing a Research Agenda on Ethical Issues Related to Using Social Media in Healthcare

• Published in: Cambridge quarterly of healthcare ethics Vol. 24; no. 3; pp. 293 - 302
• Main Authors: ADAMS, SAMANTHA A., VAN VEGHEL, DENNIS, DEKKER, LUKAS
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.07.2015
• Subjects: Bioethics; Biomedical Research - ethics; Cardiac Surgical Procedures - ethics; Case studies; Communication; Data integrity; Delivery of Health Care - ethics; Education; Ethical dilemmas; Ethics; Health care; Health care policy; Health education; Health policy; Health promotion; Humans; Information technology; Mass media; Medical research; Netherlands; Patient-centered care; Patients; Personal health; Physicians; Privacy; Promotion; Services; Social institutions; Social Media - ethics; Social Media - utilization; Social networks; Social research; Special Section: Bioethics and Information Technology; Technology; Netherlands; Twitter heart operation; innovation in healthcare; health-related; social media; Dutch heart operation; public education
• ISSN: 0963-1801; 1469-2147
• DOI: 10.1017/S0963180114000619

The consequences of using publicly available social media applications specifically for healthcare purposes are largely unaddressed in current research. Where they are addressed, the focus is primarily on issues of privacy and data protection. We therefore use a case study of the first live Twitter heart operation in the Netherlands, in combination with recent literature on social media from other academic fields, to identify a wide range of ethical issues related to using social media for health-related purposes. Although this case reflects an innovative approach to public education and patient centeredness, it also illustrates the need for institutions to weigh the various aspects of use and to develop a plan to deal with these on a per case basis. Given the continual development of technologies, researchers may not yet be able to oversee and anticipate all of the potential implications. Further development of a research agenda on this topic, the promotion of guidelines and policies, and the publication of case studies that reveal the granularity of individual situations will therefore help raise awareness and assist physicians and institutions in using social media to support existing care services.