It's Early Days, But Unprofessional Digital Behavior Of Doctors Is Rampant

With 32 % of the world population online, the use of social media in healthcare is becoming common place. Very often, the distinction between professional and personal use blurs on social media. Doctors need to be especially careful about maintaining the highest degree of professionalism in their online behavior.

So what are the common examples of violations of Professional online behavior for Doctors? In a survey over 68 medical boards across the United States, Greysen and his colleagues found that the top reported violations were:

1. Inappropriate contact with patients online (69 percent).
2. Inappropriate prescribing (63 percent). 
3. Misrepresentation of credentials or clinical outcomes (60 percent). 

In response to these violations, 71 percent of boards held formal disciplinary proceedings and 40 percent issued informal warnings resulting in serious actions such as license limitation (44 percent), suspension (29 percent) or revocation (21 percent).

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Physician Misconduct Showing Up On the Internet