#Curbsiding: Potential Value and Patient Confidentiality Implications of Infectious Disease Clinician Peer Consultations via Social Media

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2022 Aug 10;9(8):ofac409. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac409. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Ryan Boyland¹, Jasmine R Marcelin^{1

2}, Nicolás Cortés-Penfield^{1

2}

¹ College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
² Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

Abstract

Background: Infectious Disease (ID) clinician's social media use for peer consultation is unstudied.

Methods: We reviewed ID peer consultation via Twitter over a 6-week period.

Results: We found this practice frequently solicited meaningful replies, but we identified potential for confidentiality breaches.

Conclusions: We offer recommendations for responsible discussion of clinical scenarios via social media.

Keywords: compliance; confidentiality; guidelines; privacy; social media.