The New Zealand Medical Students' Association (NZMSA) has released a guide for doctors and medical students that would inform them how to use social media safely and retaining confidentiality.

The guide has been developed jointly by the Australian Medical Association Council of Doctors-in-Training, the New Zealand Medical Association Doctors-in-Training Council, the Australian Medical Students' Association and the New Zealand Medical Students' Association.

The need to for a guiding tool for using social media was felt citing the increasing use of internet particularly the social networking websites by medical professionals. The document has included several examples that would teach doctors and medical students that how offensive it could be posting personal information on social media.

Oliver Hansby, President of the New Zealand Medical Students' Association said, "The Social Media and the Medical Profession guide raises awareness of the risks that medical students and doctors may encounter when they use online social media".

The guide recommends that the use of social media should be made such so that it doesn't cast adverse impact on future careers and professional relationships. The basic aim of the guide is to make medical professional embed professional standards in their online conduct.

The document is available at nzmsa org nz resources.