Online Professionalism—2018 Update of European Association of Urology (@Uroweb) Recommendations on the Appropriate Use of Social Media

Abstract

Social media has transformed communication among health care professionals. This narrative review article provides an update of practical guidelines for effective and professional use of these communication technologies.

Pelvic organ prolapse on YouTube: evaluation of consumer information

“…The social media platform YouTube has >1.5 billion users and is frequently used for patient/physician education . Over 33 million women worldwide are impacted by pelvic organ prolapse (POP) , a condition that is poorly understood by patients, even those with high rates of health literacy.…”

Guideline of guidelines: social media in urology

“…Along with the BJUI , the European Association of Urology (EAU) was among the first to publish guidelines on social media in urology in 2014 . Borgmann et al updated these recommendations in 2018 to include 10 practical guidelines for professional and effective use by members in the field of urology. Never undermining patient privacy and confidentiality is the first guideline, highlighting that violations of privacy are potentially the most serious infraction of professional social media use. Understanding how other users behave online before interacting on social media, to learn the etiquette of each platform prior to engaging actively. Stating your name, who you are, and your profession is key in establishing a professional digital identity that is in line with your professional goals.…”

“…Along with the BJUI, the European Association of Urology (EAU) was among the first to publish guidelines on social media in urology in 2014 [13]. Borgmann et al [8] updated these recommendations in 2018 to include 10 practical guidelines for professional and effective use by members in the field of urology.…”

“…Despite this enthusiasm and dramatic increase in usage, however, barriers exist because of the lack of clarity surrounding the appropriate use of social media within a professional setting. Moreover, despite multiple guidelines on use of social media in urology [7][8][9], fewer than 10% of graduating urology residents were aware of and had read them [10]. This is concerning in light of recent studies showing the unprofessional content present in publicly accessible social media pages for graduating urology residents and junior faculty [11].…”

Chancen und Grenzen eines zeitgemäßen Onlineauftrittes für Urologen

“…Twitter wird und sollte von Urologinnen und Urologen in erster Linie als Plattform für einen akademischen Austausch, Weiterbildung und fachliche Diskussionen genutzt werden. 74 % der Twitter-Nutzer geben an, das Netzwerk als Quelle für Nachrichten zu verwenden [26], 85 % der kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen nutzen Twitter, um Ihren Kundenservice anzubieten [27]. ▪ Beim Umgang mit SoMe empfiehlt es sich, bereits vorhandene Leitlinien zu verwenden, um den professionellen und sicheren Umgang zu gewährleisten.…”