title: The patient-doctor relationship and online social networks: results of a national survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The use of online social networks (OSNs) among physicians and physicians-in-training, the extent of patient-doctor interactions within OSNs, and attitudes among these groups toward use of OSNs is not well described.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To quantify the use of OSNs, patient interactions within OSNs, and attitudes toward OSNs among medical students (MS), resident physicians (RP), and practicing physicians (PP) in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  A random, stratified mail survey was sent to 1004 MS, 1004 RP, and 1004 PP between February and May 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  Percentage of respondents reporting OSN use, the nature and frequency of use; percentage of respondents reporting friend requests by patients or patients' family members, frequency of these requests, and whether or not they were accepted; attitudes toward physician use of OSNs and online patient interactions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall response rate was 16.0% (19.8% MS, 14.3% RP, 14.1% PP). 93.5% of MS, 79.4% of RP, and 41.6% of PP reported usage of OSNs. PP were more likely to report having visited the profile of a patient or patient's family member (MS 2.3%, RP 3.9%, PP 15.5%), and were more likely to have received friend requests from patients or their family members (MS 1.2%, RP 7.8%, PP 34.5%). A majority did not think it ethically acceptable to interact with patients within OSNs for either social (68.3%) or patient-care (68.0%) reasons. Almost half of respondents (48.7%) were pessimistic about the potential for OSNs to improve patient-doctor communication, and a majority (79%) expressed concerns about maintaining patient confidentiality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Personal OSN use among physicians and physicians-in-training mirrors that of the general population. Patient-doctor interactions take place within OSNs, and are more typically initiated by patients than by physicians or physicians-in-training. A majority of respondents view these online interactions as ethically problematic.
authors.affiliation: Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. gbosslet@iupui.edu
authors.forename: Gabriel T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Bosslet
authors.forename: Alexia M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Torke
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hickman
authors.forename: Colin L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Terry
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Helft
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000941:ethics*; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000941:ethics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D010820:Physicians / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology; D060756:Social Networking; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult