Tweets from self-identified physicians may go over the edge

A recent letter to the Journal of the American Medical Association delves into what, exactly, self-identified physicians are Tweeting about, and the results may make patients uncomfortable. Katherine Chretien, a hospitalist at the Washington DC VA Medical Center, said in a statement to Vermont Public Radio:
 

I'm all for physicians using social media to effect positive change in public health, advocacy, health literacy, professional collaboration, etc. (and have personally found it immensely helpful in getting information in my field—medical education), but very concerning is the potential patient privacy violations and conflicts of interest ("buy product A and cure fibromyalgia!") which clearly violate ethical codes and can hurt patients/the public.

Read the entire Vermont Public Radio article.