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Background: Medical curricula are increasingly using small group learning and less didactic lecture-based teaching. This creates new challenges and opportunities in how students are best supported with information technology. We explored how university-supported and external social media could support collaborative small group working on our new undergraduate medical curriculum., Methods: We made available a curation platform (Scoop.it) and a wiki within our virtual learning environment as part of year 1 Case-Based Learning, and did not discourage the use of other tools such as Facebook. We undertook student surveys to capture perceptions of the tools and information on how they were used, and employed software user metrics to explore the extent to which they were used during the year., Results: Student groups developed a preferred way of working early in the course. Most groups used Facebook to facilitate communication within the group, and to host documents and notes. There were more barriers to using the wiki and curation platform, although some groups did make extensive use of them. Staff engagement was variable, with some tutors reviewing the content posted on the wiki and curation platform in face-to-face sessions, but not outside these times. A small number of staff posted resources and reviewed student posts on the curation platform., Conclusions: Optimum use of these tools depends on sufficient training of both staff and students, and an opportunity to practice using them, with ongoing support. The platforms can all support collaborative learning, and may help develop digital literacy, critical appraisal skills, and awareness of wider health issues in society.

Background: Social media may blur the line between socialisation and professional use. Traditional views on medical professionalism focus on limiting motives and behaviours to avoid situations that may compromise care. It is not surprising that social media are perceived as a threat to professionalism., Objective: To develop evidence for the professional use of social media in medicine., Methods: A qualitative framework was used based on an appreciative inquiry approach to gather perceptions and experiences of 31 participants at the 2014 Social Media Summit., Results: The main benefits of social media were the widening of networks, access to expertise from peers and other health professionals, the provision of emotional support and the ability to combat feelings of isolation., Conclusions: Appreciative inquiry is a tool that can develop the positive practices of organisations and individuals. Our results provide evidence for the professional use of social media that may contribute to guidelines to help individuals realise benefits and avoid harms., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.)

Social media is everywhere; its use has grown exponentially over recent years. The prevalence of these outlets for communication raises some interesting and potentially risky issues for physicians. On the one hand, some believe that physicians should have a strong social media presence and can benefit greatly from access to a global community of peers and leaders through blogs, online forums, Facebook, Twitter and other communication channels. Dr Anne Marie Cunningham provides a strong case for the advantages of developing networks and figuring out who and what to pay attention to online. On the other hand however, others believe that the use of social media places doctors at a professional and ethical risk and is essentially a waste of time for the already time-pressured physician. Professor DeCamp argues that the risks of social media outweigh their benefits. It makes it more difficult to maintain a distinction between private and professional personas, and as we have seen, one mistyped or inappropriate comment can have potentially negative consequences when taken out of context. With an already time-pressured day, the priority should be patients, not tweets. Whatever your thoughts on the benefits and risks of social media, it is here to stay. Specific guidelines and guidance are needed to ensure that physicians who decide to join an online community reap the benefits of global communication, rather than regret it.