This is an interesting little research letter in JAMA regarding the incidence of state medical board review of unprofessional online behavior. Of the 48 boards responding, 44 indicated that at least one complaint had been reviewed secondary to inappropriate online behavior.
The most commonly reviewed instances were inappropriate patient communication, online misrepresentation of credentials, and “inappropriate practice.” The most common responses noted by the survey were disciplinary proceedings, sanctions, and informal warnings – and half of medical boards reported license restriction, suspension, or revocation in response to proceedings.
Behave on the internet!
“Physician Violations of Online Professionalism and Disciplinary Actions: A National Survey of State Medical Boards”
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22436951