Emerging Technologies: Web 2.0 (Commentary) (Report‪)‬

Hospitals and medical practices are beginning to explore the newer web-based social networking technologies as an effective way to communicate with their patients, clients and the public. This includes using sites such as Twitter (www.twitter.com) and Facebook (www.facebook. com). As is typical of many emergent technologies, the leading adopters are ahead of the legislation and have yet to fully probe the potential ethical dilemmas that might arise from their use. In Australia, Health Information Managers (HIMs) are bound by their professional Code of Ethics, which includes the statement that they must '[c]ontribute to the planning and development of services which enable individuals within the community to achieve optimum health' (Health Information Management Association of Australia 2009). It can be argued that the collective components of Web 2.0, which comprise Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instant Messaging and blogging, will play a major part in future healthcare, due to their proliferation, cost-effectiveness and ease of use. As guardians of the patient's health information in their respective healthcare facilities, HIMs will need to contribute actively to policy formation around the use of such tools, and monitor and evaluate their use.