Guiding e-professionalism: developing social media workshops for health students

Social media is part of the medical landscape in the 21st century. The experience of “participatory medicine” (clinicians and patients connecting in ways other than face to face) is now a day to day reality for all those involved in delivery of health care. The development of an educational framework in which to teach and support students to manage these participatory interfaces is understandably new. Dr Kendall Ho and colleagues from UBC Canada developed an interactive workshop to equip students with safe social media habits This approach was reviewed and redesigned for an Australian context. This poster seeks to explore the experiences of students who participated and review the educational value of the workshop An interactive workshop was piloted on a rural group of medical and allied health students. .After identification the utility and variety of social media available students discussed current guidelines for universities, health services and professional bodies. Participants completed a case-study based questionnaire prior to the workshop, and then reviewed their answers in an interactive format. Case studies were themed to demonstrate privacy, confidentiality, online conduct, professional boundaries and reputation concerns. Students rated the appropriateness or otherwise of the behaviours described. Tools to evaluate social media information were reviewed with students identifying sources of information for course work considering content, credibility and captivation Students provided constructive feedback about the delivery and utility of the workshop. The content validity and reliability of Likert scales for the assessment of the scenarios was reviewed and refined. Tools for social media contribution and approaches to social media content were considered desirable Responsible social media use by health professionals will not just happen. Workforce and tertiary policies do not cover the “grey” areas of safe social media use. The implementation of a practical workshop was a useful way of exploring and challenging different knowledge levels and experiences. The application to nursing and allied health disciplines appears clear cut and further development of a social media curriculum is important for all involved in the delivery of health care.