Here are six key points:
1. A STAT study of hundreds of social media accounts revealed most physicians don’t alert patients of their conflicts of interest when supporting certain drugs or devices.
2. Legally, physicians don’t have to notify about payments from drug companies in their social media posts.
3. However, as more medical professionals use social media, some are concerned about the misleading nature of failing to disclose relationships with companies.
4. Some physicians argue it is not feasible to disclose all that information in a tweet, for example. Others refute by suggesting physicians attach screenshots of disclosures as photos.
5. The Massachusetts Medical Society recently implemented a requirement mandating its members disclose financial relationships for anything they discuss online.
6. In 2010, the American Medical Association established guidelines outlining the responsibility of physicians to disclose relationships with companies.
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