Social media guidance for pharmacists

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Pharmacists in the UK are being encouraged to use social media in their professional lives by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). The professional body has produced a wide-ranging package of tools and information to help pharmacists approach the likes of Twitter and Facebook to build a strong and constructive online presence.

These include a beginner's guide to blogging, an introduction to Twitter and a look at the legal implications for pharmacists of using social media.

The guidance was put together with input from a social media expert panel that included RPS chief executive Helen Gorden; Jonathan Mason, senior pharmacist at NHS England; and Dr Anthony Cox, a senior pharmacist and lecturer in clinical pharmacy.

Although the new guidance was informed by a need for pharmacists to be able to stay ahead professionally, it also acknowledges that “a more cohesive and informed pharmacy profession can offer patients better, safer care”.

At the same time, the RPS' new social media best practice tips for pharmacists bring it up to speed with its physician counterpart the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), which last year launched a social media highway code for UK doctors.