We are working with Mediaplanet UK’s Urological Health campaign for Urology Awareness Month. The campaign will have editorial insights from EAU, BAUN, BAUS, the Urology Foundation and TalkHealth. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness around urological conditions, innovations in treatment, importance of diagnosis and prevention of all urological conditions. To help raise awareness, MedShr has written an article about the use of social media amongst urologists today – benefits, pitfalls and guidance around the use of patient data in the public domain. To see the full article, visit the Health Awareness Urology page here, and read on for a short excerpt.

Patient Privacy and Social Media for Urologists

Examining the use of social media amongst urologists today: benefits, pitfalls and guidance around the use of patient data in the public domain.

Paradigm shift in how physicians communicate and share information

Social media occupies a large part of time spent on the internet and has created an environment where almost nothing is private, and everything is a matter of public record. According to the American Urological Association, 74% of urologists have a social media account and use them actively to post, curate and comment or read clinical content (AUA, 2014). Those who use it responsibly know that it can be a powerful professional and personal tool that can help crowdsource opinions instantly. However, it can also damage careers and doctor-patient relationships when patient information is shared in the public domain.

Physicians are responsible for protecting patient privacy

With thousands of medical images bearing patient information being shared on social networks like Twitter and Facebook every day, patient privacy has emerged as one of the lightning rods in the discussion around patient health information and its use on social media. When polled about their awareness of how to use social media responsibly, urologists and other physicians cited… Continue reading here.

Join thousands of urologists on MedShr

Whether you're a specialist or just have a specialty interest, join the Urology group on MedShr to discover, discuss, learn and reflect on Urology cases, images and movies. Complex or simple, rare or common, this is the group to share your knowledge, discuss best practice, and help to improve patient care! See some of the latest cases below!