A narrative review of social media guidelines for medical doctors: insights for developing framework in Vietnam

The increasing use of social media among medical doctors and students has raised concerns about the issues related to professional behaviors in online environment. This study examines the current global guidelines on social media use for medical doctors to inform the development of such framework for Vietnamese medical doctors. A narrative review was conducted through manual searches of the official websites of national medical governing bodies. Thematic analysis was conducted on the documents to identify key principles and themes. As results, 10 guidelines, including one from World Medical Association and nine from governing bodies in nine countries were reviewed. Five key common themes were identified, including patient confidentiality, privacy, and dignity; information appropriateness; professional boundary, doctor-patient relationship, public trust; practitioner’s privacy; and health advocacy. These perspectives should be reflected together with Vietnamese cultural context when developing guidelines on professional use of social media for medical doctors in Vietnam. Detailed practical examples, clear expectations, potential disciplinary actions, and guidance on the beneficial use of social media should be included as essential components of the guidelines.