Proper use of social media by health operators in the pediatric oncohematological setting: Consensus statement from the Italian Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Association (AIEOP)

Abstract

Social media are powerful means of communication that can also have an important role in the healthcare sector. They are sometimes seen with diffidence in the healthcare setting, partly because they risk blurring professional boundaries. This issue is particularly relevant to relations between caregivers and adolescent patients. The Italian Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Association created a multidisciplinary working group to develop some shared recommendations on this issue. After reviewing the literature, the working group prepared a consensus statement in an effort to suggest an analytical approach rather than restrictive rules.

Moving Beyond the Friend-Foe Myth: A Scoping Review of the Use of Social Media in Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology

“…A significant number of studies (n = 11), eight of which were empirical and three theoretical, expressed the urgent need for care providers to use these platforms and explore their potential. 22,[34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] They listed various features that render social media particularly promising networks for engaging AYA: AYA's familiarity with social media as communication tools, the fact that social media is widely available, easily accessible, cost-effective, interactive, normalizing, anonymous, and mimic interpersonal communication, while being less stigmatizing. [34][35][36][37][38][39][44][45][46] Most of those studies, however, refrained from providing an extensive discussion of these social media characteristics.…”

“…Other concerns identified in both the empirical and theoretical literature were related to (1) the discovery of disturbing information (e.g., death of a peer) that could affect AYA's ability to cope and (2) online informationseeking behavior becoming an addiction. 38,42,47,49 Additional worries addressed issues of privacy, confidentiality, 41 and…”

“…51 Various, mainly theoretical, articles also pointed to the challenges that such services (many of which go beyond those available through social media) would bring (e.g., confidentiality and privacy breaches, jeopardizing therapeutic patient-provider relationship). 41,78,79 Aside from these ethical and legal concerns, the use of social media by HCPs was never framed in exclusively restricted terms. On the contrary, some studies, both empirical and theoretical ones, emphasized that HCPs should be involved in AYA cancer-related social network sites to share trustworthy information and counter inaccurate sources, and argued that this could enhance AYA's trust in the medical community at large.…”

“…34,45,67,68 A final consideration is the ethical complexity with regard to patient-health care provider interactions through social media. This issue was barely addressed in our sample, 22,41,73 due to the low number of studies focusing on the use of social media by HCPs in relationship with AYA. We will briefly return to this topic in the next section.…”

Clinical Application of Digital Technologies in Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Supportive Care

“…15 Despite these perceived benefits, concerns remain about the impact of social media on children and young adults. 16…”