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Developing a Research Agenda on Ethical Issues Related to Using Social Media in Healthcare

Lessons from the First Dutch Twitter Heart Operation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 June 2015

SAMANTHA A. ADAMS ,
DENNIS VAN VEGHEL  and
LUKAS DEKKER
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Abstract:

The consequences of using publicly available social media applications specifically for healthcare purposes are largely unaddressed in current research. Where they are addressed, the focus is primarily on issues of privacy and data protection. We therefore use a case study of the first live Twitter heart operation in the Netherlands, in combination with recent literature on social media from other academic fields, to identify a wide range of ethical issues related to using social media for health-related purposes. Although this case reflects an innovative approach to public education and patient centeredness, it also illustrates the need for institutions to weigh the various aspects of use and to develop a plan to deal with these on a per case basis. Given the continual development of technologies, researchers may not yet be able to oversee and anticipate all of the potential implications. Further development of a research agenda on this topic, the promotion of guidelines and policies, and the publication of case studies that reveal the granularity of individual situations will therefore help raise awareness and assist physicians and institutions in using social media to support existing care services.

Keywords

social mediaDutch heart operationTwitter heart operationsocial mediahealth-relatedpublic educationinnovation in healthcare
Type
Special Section: Bioethics and Information Technology
Information
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics , Volume 24 , Issue 3 , July 2015 , pp. 293 - 302
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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