News in brief - Nov. 28, 2011

Social media use poses professional risks for doctors

Widespread use of social networking websites poses a challenge to doctors and physician trainees as the medical profession tries to define appropriate online behavior, says a study in the December issue of Academic Medicine (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22030752).

Sixty-one percent of U.S. adults on the Internet use social networking websites. But for physicians, residents and medical students, using such websites creates a risk of blurring the lines between their personal and professional lives, the study said.

Study authors analyzed data from a June 2010 survey by the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine. Of 82 medical school faculty members who responded, 63 (79%) said they thought it was inappropriate to send a friend request to a current student. Sixty-one respondents (76%) said it was inappropriate to accept a friend request from a student.

Forty-two faculty members (53%) said it was inappropriate to accept a friend request from a current resident.

Social networking connections with former students or residents was deemed more acceptable. For example, half of faculty members said they usually or always accept a friend request from a former student.

The study authors said more research is needed to help define professional online behavior.

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Better pain management needed for cancer patients, study says

Chronic pain is common among cancer patients, yet more needs to be done to ensure that oncologists have the knowledge and ability to help patients manage such pain, says a study published online Nov. 15 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22084372).

Researchers analyzed a survey of 610 oncologists. They found that although the physicians rated their specialty high in being able to manage patients' pain, many incorrectly answered questions about commonly accepted best practices for pain management.

The majority of oncologists surveyed rated the quality of their pain management training received in medical school as poor, with a median ranking of three out of 10.

Commonly cited barriers to optimal pain management included patients' reluctance to take analgesics or accurately report the amount of pain they were experiencing. Some physicians also cited a reluctance to prescribe opioids.

Only 14% to 16% of oncologists said they frequently referred patients to pain or palliative care specialists.

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