Use of social media by doctors and medical students is common and growing.
Although professional standards and codes of ethics that govern the behaviour of medical practitioners in Australia and New Zealand do not currently encompass social media, these codes need to evolve, because professional standards continue to apply in this setting.
Inappropriate use of social media can result in harm to patients and the profession, including breaches of confidentiality, defamation of colleagues or employers, and violation of doctor–patient boundaries.
The professional integrity of doctors and medical students can also be damaged through problematic interprofessional online relationships, and unintended exposure of personal information to the public, employers or universities.
Doctors need to exercise extreme care in their use of social media to ensure they maintain professional standards.
Social media use was nearly universal in the surveyed cohort. Posting of unprofessional content was highly prevalent despite understanding that this might be considered inappropriate, and despite awareness of professionalism guidelines. Medical educators should consider approaches to this problem that involve more than simply providing guidelines or policies, and students should be regularly prompted to evaluate and moderate their own online behaviour.
Intramedullary limb lengthening (LL) is now achievable through motorized intramedullary devices. While this technology mitigates some complications of external-fixation-based lengthening, many complications common to all lengthening procedures persist. New challenges and complications exclusive to this newer technology are also presented. The LL surgeon should be aware of and ready to respond to complications involving device malfunctions, poor local bony and soft-tissue biology, patient compliance, neurovascular compromise, joint instability, regenerate problems, and others. While technology will continue to evolve, study of and adherence to foundational principles of LL will minimize risks and optimize patient outcomes.
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