Healthcare Blogger Code of Ethics: Does Your Blog Comply?

Healthcare was the topic of around 1% of all blogs in 2006, according to a USA Today article at the time. The article, citing a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, brought up a few interesting concerns. First, are physicians’ blogs, especially when they are about patient experiences, a violation of privacy? And, second, should healthcare professionals’ blogs be considered medical information?

Because of these concerns and the growing popularity of healthcare blogs — from both writers’ and readers’ viewpoints, a group of blogging doctors got together to form the Healthcare Blogger Code of Ethics. Bloggers on health-related topics (professionals and patients) can submit their blogs to become members of the Healthcare Blogger Code of Ethics. Blogs that are accepted display a seal letting readers know that the blog abides by the Healthcare Blogger Code of Ethics.

The code is intended not only to signify that a blog meets certain standards, but also to let concerned readers know about guidelines you follow in your blogging. So if you are a doctor who has a blog, you can assure your patients and the hospitals you use that you are committed to certain ethical standards in writing your blog.

The five tenets of the code can be summarized as:

1. Revealed perspective. Bloggers must state their professional training so readers can easily determine their background and perspective.
2. Confidentiality. Patients’ identities can never be revealed, and discussions must follow the rules that apply to practice (HIPAA, informed consent).
3. Commercial disclosure. Bloggers must let readers know about any commercial ties they have to products, devices, or pharmaceuticals.
4. Reliability of information. Sources should be cited, and errors in information should be corrected when detected.
5. Courtesy. Bloggers and those who comment on the blog are welcome to debate ideas, but no personal attacks are allowed.

You can read the entire code on the Healthcare Blogger Code of Ethics page.

Hundreds of blogs have accepted the code since 2007, and more are accepting it all the time. As a blog reader, I think this code does offer some peace of mind when reading medical blogs — once you read the code and understand what it means. The main problem is that more people don’t know about it. I wasn’t aware that the code existed until I stumbled upon it in a search for other information. However, if a medical blog had the seal, I’d be interested enough to find out what the code meant. So, while the code doesn’t resolve the questions raised for medical bloggers who haven’t heard about it, it does provide some peace of mind to readers of the blogs that have been approved and display the seal.

If you are a healthcare blog writer, I encourage you to apply for the code. If you put the Healthcare Blogger Code of Ethics seal on your blog, your readers can link to the website to see the standards your blog meets. They will appreciate that you are thoughtful about what you post and adhere to ethical and privacy guidelines.

What do you think of this code? Does it help to answer the professional and privacy questions that healthcare blogging raises?