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© 2019 Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, 

Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved. 

 

Letter to editor 

Volume 12     Number 16     November 2019 

The need for a practitioners' social media code of conduct in Iran 

*Corresponding Author 
  
Ahmad Sofi-Mahmudi 

No. 10, Al-e-Ahmad and Chamran 

Highway intersection, Tehran, Iran. 

Postal code: 1411713136 

Tel: (+98) 21 88 63 12 93 

Email: a.sofimahmudi@gmail.com 

 

Received: 10 Oct 2019 

Accepted: 26 Nov 2019 

Published: 1 Dec 2019 

 

Citation to this article:  

Ahmad Sofi-Mahmudi A. The need for a 

practitioners' social media code of 

conduct in Iran J Med Ethics Hist Med. 

2019; 12: 16. 

Ahmad Sofi-Mahmudi  

 
 

Researcher, Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, 
Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.  

 

 

There is a need for a social media code of conduct for dental (or 

in general, medical) practitioners in Iran. With the growing use 

of the internet and social networks in Iran, many dentists use 

social media, mainly Instagram, as an advertisement tool. There 

are almost no restrictions on their advertisements; they not only 

expose their patients’ identities and therefore violate the 

principle of confidentiality, but also sometimes use 

inappropriate ways and styles, which may injure dentists’ 

reputation in the society (1).  

Another problem is the increasing number of fake accounts that 

belong to individuals who introduce themselves as 

dental/medical practitioners. This problem is more evident in 

Twitter, where a huge number of students and practitioners tend 

not to use their real names. Sometimes they make medical 

recommendations or use inappropriate words that may make 

other users cynical about the profession. Moreover, others can 

take advantage of this situation by claiming to be dental/medical 

practitioners, which has happened several times.  

In the latest dentistry curriculum in Iran, there are no 

instructions for use of social media in the “medical ethics” 

course. However, Tehran University of Medical Sciences has 

developed a guideline for professional behavior in cyberspace in 

August 2017. It is a good step, but we need an upstream and 

nationwide action. It is also advisable to adopt other countries 

guidelines as they may have more experience in this regard. 



The need for a practitioners' social media code of conduct in Iran  

 

 

 
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Volume 12     Number 16     November 2019 

  

For example, the General Dental Council and the 

General Medical Council (GMC) of the UK, and 

the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation 

Agency have produced policies and guidelines 

regarding the use of social media (1). The UK's 

General Medical Councils “Doctors' Use of Social 

Media” (2) is a useful document, and its original 

and Persian translation are freely available on the 

web. This can help students and practitioners see 

that social media is not a part of their private life 

and they need to be careful while using social 

media.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References  

1. Holden A. Social media and professionalism: does the profession need to re‐think the 
parameters of professionalism within social media? Aust Dent J. 2017; 62(1): 23-9. 

2. General Medical Council. Doctors’ use of social media. [cited 2019 November]; Available 
from: https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/doctors-use-of-social-media_pdf-
58833100.pdf?la=en&hash=61BDC9EAA79FE4F877797D8C76515EA39BC8D516