title: Social media guidelines and best practices: recommendations from the Council of Residency Directors Social Media Task Force.
abstract: Social media has become a staple of everyday life among over one billion people worldwide. A social networking presence has become a hallmark of vibrant and transparent communications. It has quickly become the preferred method of communication and information sharing. It offers the ability for various entities, especially residency programs, to create an attractive internet presence and "brand" the program. Social media, while having significant potential for communication and knowledge transfer, carries with it legal, ethical, personal, and professional risks. Implementation of a social networking presence must be deliberate, transparent, and optimize potential benefits while minimizing risks. This is especially true with residency programs. The power of social media as a communication, education, and recruiting tool is undeniable. Yet the pitfalls of misuse can be disastrous, including violations in patient confidentiality, violations of privacy, and recruiting misconduct. These guidelines were developed to provide emergency medicine residency programs leadership with guidance and best practices in the appropriate use and regulation of social media, but are applicable to all residency programs that wish to establish a social media presence.
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Section of Emergency Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Malford T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Pillow
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hopson
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, Department of Emergency Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.affiliation: Brody School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Leigh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.affiliation: Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Harsh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sule
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ankel
authors.affiliation: University of California Los Angeles, Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Madonna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernández-Frackelton
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Ronald V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Springfield, Illinois.
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kegg
authors.affiliation: Ohio State University Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Department of Emergency Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takenaka
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000592:standards*; D061108:Social Media / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States