Medical Blogging

Thomas Robey -- Lately, there has been a good deal of attention paid to the risks of participating in medical blogs. The warnings originating from deans about posting drunken pictures on Facebook or making outrageous claims on blogs have been on the upswing in my neck of the woods. Likewise, advice in the form of commentary or career counseling from professional societies and specialty publications still weighs heavily on the “Watch out! People can search the internet to learn what you really think!” To that I say, “Go ahead, Google me!”

I’ve noticed a tendency for advice meant for high school students and undergraduates to be redirected to medical students and residents. I don’t know about you, but these "helpful tips" come across as paternalistic to me. It’s too easy for commenters to caution against using Facebook accounts or blogging because of the negative connotations tied to those activities. Granted, lapses of professionalism should not receive amnesty on the internet, but articles like those I just read in the October 2008 edition of the emergency medicine newspaper published by ACEP (sorry – needs subscription) are too easily used by faculty and administration who argue that blogging and social networking should not be engaged in by any student for any reason. There are so many potential positives of Facebook, LinkedIn, and blogs (like this one) that I think there needs to be more emphasis on the potential of these media to balance out the cautionary tales.

Articles critical of blogging are most often written by non-bloggers. Arguments levied by hospital administrators tend to lean toward concerns of HIPAA compliance and risk reduction. Ethicists’ positions suggest that patients’ stories are fully owned by those individuals, even if details are changed. Skeptical readers and skittish posters are worried that their opinions can be counted against them thanks to the permanence of the internet. Many of these articles (typically by ethicists or administrators) end with a call for a code of ethics. Oft-cited internet magnate Tim O’Reilly has initiated a simple blog-wide code of ethics that has been adapted to science blogs among others. On top of this, a considerable number of medical bloggers have agreed to follow and support a Healthcare Blogger Code of Ethics. I’ve registered my personal blog and proudly display the code’s logo on my site.

I agree that medical blogging and Facebook shenanigans have the risk of damaging your personal reputation and one SHOULD be careful of posting stupid stuff. I also see the benefits of commentary like that on this site, the creative outlet, a new way to bridge science and medicine with the media and public, entertainment from reading humorous observations, and a general democratization of conversation. As some medical schools institute policies about blogging, it is important that we the bloggers, commenters and readers speak up to educate those making regulatory decisions about the benefits of blogging.

Articles referenced in the October 2008 ACEP News were written by Elliot Pennington, MS4, Jay M. Baruch, MD, and Jeanine Ward, MD, PhD