Online professionalism and Facebook – Falling through the generation gap

Figures & data

Figure 1. The standard privacy settings as seen on a new Facebook profile (Facebook Privacy Settings 2011).

Table

Practice points

Professionals lack awareness of their professional vulnerability on Facebook. Universally acceptable guidelines are needed for ‘e-professionalism’. Senior professionals may not be the best suited to produce guidelines. Medical professionals at all levels should be involved in producing guidelines. In researching social media, examining information available online is an ethical risk as many users do not appreciate their lack of privacy.

Table 1.  Respondent characteristics

Survey item	Students	FYDs	SSGs
Total number	42	20	20
Average age (years)	21.4	25.9	36.1
Ratio of male : female	3:7	11:9	6:4
Percentage who currently have a Facebook account (%)	100	100	30

Figure 2. Facebook activity levels according to the last point of use.

Table 2.  Questionnaire results regarding privacy settings with figures as a percentage (%)

Survey item	Students	FYDs	SSGs
	(% Of positive responses)
Of the Facebook users – the percentage who use their real name on their profile	95	100	50
Activated any privacy settings	93	50	67
Public ‘info’ page	41	75	50
‘Info’ page contains personal details on any one of the following: mobile number, email address, location, sexual orientation, relationship status or religious views?	54	20	67
Public ‘photo page’	28	20	67
Public ‘wall page’	15	55	33
Post comments or update status more than once a month	64	10	0

Table 3.  Perceptions, implications and future plans of Facebook use of the respondants recorded in the questionnaire

Survey Item	Students	FYDs	SSGs
	(% of positive responses)
Aware of any advice or regulations for medical students/doctors regarding the use of Facebook?	26	50	0
If answered yes to above – Advice resulted directly in a change of behaviour or accessibility to their Facebook account?	55	50	0
Think their professional integrity is or could be compromised by the use of Facebook?	76	90	33
Have accepted friend requests from people you don’t know that well?	36	70	0
Believe there are photos of them on Facebook that could compromise their own professionalism?	45	60	67
Agree that they have seen colleagues behaving unprofessionally on Facebook? (e.g. excessive drinking, state of undress or discussion of clinical experience)	88	80	0
Intend to continue using Facebook after they graduate/as their medical career progresses?	93	100	67
Intend to have privacy settings enabled after they graduate/as their medical career progresses?	90	100	80

Table 4.  Respondant perceptions of current guidance and online professionalism

Statements	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree
	(% Of positive responses)
What Happens on sites such as Facebook is separate from what happens at the medical school/hospital.	12	33	17	29	9
	0	35	50	15	0
	0	17	50	33	0
Medical student/Doctors behaviour on Facebook could impact on fitness to practise.	36	60	4	0	0
	45	35	15	5	0
	33	50	17	0	0
I understand what the medical school would classify as unacceptable behaviour on Facebook.	9	12	33	29	17
I am aware of the GMC's fitness to practise guidance on personal and professional behaviour and how this applies to Facebook.	0	19	62	10	9
	0	10	25	65	0
	0	17	17	17	50

Note: (Key: Students, FYDs, SSGs) recorded using a categorical scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disgaree within the questionnaire.

Facebook Privacy Settings. 2011. [Accessed on 2 January 2012] Available from http://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy (N.B. Facebook profile needed for access to this page).

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