Syndicom

Web 2.0, the ubiquitous groundswell and professional ethics in practice.

In one of the final chapters of Groundswell, Li and Bernoff describe the future where the social media of web 2.0 are embedded in every activity on mobile devices and into the real world, where social networks maintain our connections, feeds inform us constantly of any new information, all transactions will be rated and reviewed and we will search through tags. This is a world of constant feedback, where deception is doomed to failure because people will know. So as we venture into this brave new world, how are our professional lives changing? According to Li and Bernoff, as follows…

1. Connections count more.
2. Listening rules.
3. Patience wins the day.
4. Opportunities are there for the taking.
5. Flexibility is paramount.
6. Collaboration is required.
7. Humility is powerful.

A similar set of guidelines was recently presented in the current issue of SpineLine, from the North American Spine Society. From his desk as President of NASS, Thomas Faciszewski, MD writes that transparency will not only improve levels of trust between spine surgeons and their patients but also between surgeons and society itself. Trust is central to adherence to treatment plans as well as providing the most effective clinical care to those in need. Contemporary medical practice faces many challenges to the earning of this trust, and yet, as Faciszewski suggests, the personal integrity of the physician is central to perceptions of competence and effectiveness.

But here’s the rub. Trust must be earned. It is a communicative, relational accomplishment and in the age of the groundswell where people will and do know, and perhaps more importantly, are willing to share; anything short of ethical practice and truth will soon out. Web 2.0 provides physicians with a complex conundrum - you can not participate and suffer mistrust due to distance and a lack of visibility; or you can ‘put yourself out there’ and engage with your patients, become more visible and ultimately more often called to account for your ways of working, which brings its own consequences for trust as seen in recent scandals of medical graduates and their Facebook pages. Not only that, but as recently evidenced by a blog by Jen McCabe Gorman on Health Management Rx, the same rules apply for those companies serving physicians and other healthcare workers. It takes only one blog to out a deceptive practice because of the power of connections and the word spreads like wildfire around the globe. Luckily for us though, the same rule applies in the reverse. Do good work, and it takes only one blog or comment on a piece of social media for that word to be out as well. So don’t be afraid to share - it shows you care. And as Faciszewski suggests, that is of paramount importance to those in your professional practice and all those members in the becoming as well!

With many thanks to David Asch for his matrix shot!

Kirsten Broadfoot