Comparação das infrações éticas de dermatologistas e cirurgiões plásticos na rede social INSTAGRAM

Abstract

FUNDAMENTALS: Social networks represent one of the main forms of information sharing within the global community. Among them is Instagram, an application launched in 2010 to disseminate images and share data between profiles. Nowadays, the tool gains space among medical professionals, especially those who work with aesthetics, who carry out publications ranging from personal photos, to self-promotion media and before-and-after photos. OBJECTIVE: To identify and compare the ethical infractions committed by dermatologists and plastic surgeons in social networks according to the guidelines issued by the Federal Medical Council, in order to better understand such recommendations. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out, based on the analysis of 152 public profiles in the Instagram® social network randomly selected through the platform search tool, 78 profiles of dermatologists and 74 of Brazilian plastic surgeons. RESULTS: It was evidenced that 133 (87.5%) profiles contained at least 1 ethical infraction and 9 of the 16 analyzed variables had statistical significance (p <0.05) when dermatologists and plastic surgeons were compared. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY: The study was limited by the subjective interpretation content of certain articles of the code of medical ethics and by the temporary nature of some publications on Instagram, which are visible only for 24 hours. CONCLUSION: Dermatologists more frequently violate the code of medical ethics in social networks than plastic surgeons, since 8 of the 9 infractions evaluated, which had a significant statistical difference among the specialties, were more present in the profiles of dermatologists. And despite this, the median number of followers between them was similar.