Facial plastic surgery Web site ethics

Before the Internet can be used to its full potential in health care, several important barriers need to be overcome. These barriers include equitable access to information, imbalance between patient health literacy and the information provided, extreme variability in the quality of the content, the potential for commercial interests to influence content, and the need for preservation of personal privacy. Facial plastic surgeons have an obligation to use the Internet ethically and responsibly and to formulate the evolving guidelines for its use.