Medical Bloggers Cross Ethical Lines

Is the information age providing too much of a good thing in the world of healthcare?

According to a recent study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, some medical blogs have crossed ethical lines by violating individual patient privacy. The report calls on doctors to use responsible tone and content in sharing their narratives with online communities.

Blogs have become increasingly popular in recent years, providing places for commentary, news, and interaction as the Web has exploded as the world’s information portal (maybe it’s appropriate, then, that this is a blog about blogs). Medical blogs are especially popular, as people use the Internet to supplement their healthcare knowledge and share opinions on medical news. In that sense, the blogs make a significant contribution to the general public.

But should formal blogging standards exist for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals? Dr. Robert Centor, a regular blogger himself, doesn’t think so. Centor believes that “rules are unnessesary” because the Internet provides a place for personal expression at an individual’s own risk. However, some blogs may have crossed the line: the JGIM study found that 17% of medical blogs contain enough information for patients to identify themselves or their doctors.

In response to the ethical issues surrounding medical blogs, a coalition of bloggers formed the Healthcare Blogger Code of Ethics, which attempts to maintain a high standard of integrity in healthcare information sharing. Bloggers may place organization’s seal of approval on their sites if they meet the standards of the code, while a “blogroll” on the group’s site lists the names of code-abiding blogs.

As information explodes across the Web, it’s important to keep in mind the ethical standards of the healthcare industry. Maybe the JGIM study is just what medical bloggers needed to keep ethical issues at the front of the boom enveloping all corners of the information superhighway.