Legal Considerations on Dental Communication Via Social Media: Liability, Ethics, and Regulatory Evolution
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Recruiting
- Sponsor
- Enrollment
- 300
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Level of legal and ethical awareness regarding healthcare advertising
Study Overview
Brief Summary
This observational study explores the legal and ethical boundaries of dental communication on social media, analyzing Italian regulatory evolution. Through surveys involving dental professionals and patients, it assesses awareness of advertising regulations and the impact of digital communication on the patient-practitioner relationship. The research identifies knowledge gaps regarding deceptive advertising and highlights the need for transparent, deontologically compliant digital practices to protect public health.
Detailed Description
This observational study investigates the legal and ethical framework of healthcare communication on social media, with a specific focus on the dental sector. The research evaluates the impact of Italian regulatory shifts on professional digital practices.
The study architecture is based on a survey conducted through validated online questionnaires, targeting three distinct groups:
- Dental Practitioners (Dentists and Dental Hygienists): To evaluate their awareness of advertising regulations and clinical data protection (GDPR).
- Healthcare Professionals (General Perspective): To analyze the broader application of deontological codes and ethical responsibilities in digital health communication.
- Patients: To assess the public's perception, the usefulness of online dental information, and the risk of deceptive advertising.
The analysis focuses on identifying common pitfalls in digital communication, such as the risk of deceptive advertising and the violation of deontological codes. By comparing the perspectives of practitioners and patients, the study aims to highlight the gap between legal requirements and current social media practices, ultimately proposing guidelines for transparent, ethical, and legally compliant digital engagement in the dental field.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Observational
- Observational Model
- Other
- Time Perspective
- Cross Sectional
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •For Group 1 (Dental Professionals): Registered Dentists or Dental Hygienists currently practicing in Italy.
- •For Group 2 (Patients): Individuals who use social media platforms and have accessed or are interested in dental healthcare information online.
- •For Group 3 (General Healthcare Professionals): Medical doctors and health practitioners from various specialties interested in digital communication ethics.
- •Age: Minimum 18 years of age.
- •Consent: Participants must be willing to provide informed consent for data collection and analysis.
- •Language: Ability to understand and read Italian.
Exclusion Criteria
- •Individuals under 18 years of age.
- •Individuals who do not use social media platforms.
- •Incomplete survey submissions where the primary data points are missing.
- •Healthcare professionals not registered with their respective Italian professional orders.
Arms & Interventions
Group 1: Dental Professionals
Dentists and Dental Hygienists practicing in Italy, surveyed to assess their knowledge of advertising regulations and digital ethics.
Intervention: Survey using a questionnaire. (Other)
Group 2: Patients
Individuals who consume healthcare information via social media, surveyed to evaluate their perception of dental advertising and its impact on their choices.
Intervention: Survey using a questionnaire. (Other)
Group 3: General Healthcare Professionals
A broad group of healthcare practitioners surveyed to analyze the general application of deontological codes in digital communication.
Intervention: Survey using a questionnaire. (Other)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Level of legal and ethical awareness regarding healthcare advertising
Time Frame: At the time of survey completion (baseline)
Assessment of participants' awareness of Italian regulations and ethical principles related to healthcare advertising through a structured questionnaire developed for this study, including both knowledge-based and self-assessment items. The questionnaire will consist of: * objective items (multiple-choice questions assessing factual knowledge) * subjective items (self-reported level of information and awareness) A composite awareness score will be calculated by assigning scores on a Likert scale (e.g., 1-5) for self-assessment items
Secondary Outcomes
No secondary outcomes reported
Investigators
Fabrizio Guerra
Associate professor, MD, pHd
University of Roma La Sapienza