As social media continues to boom, all parties in every industry are trying to figure out how to take advantage of the opportunity to be “connected” in a positive way. Not surprisingly physicians also want to get involved.

One evolving trend in social media is a growing number of physicians are using Twitter and Facebook to connect with their patients in order to provide information, consultation and updates during medical procedures. This platform has grown very popular because physicians today are overwhelmed by high patient volumes and have less time to spend caring for patients during an average appointment. Still, many physicians are concerned about the ethics and the risks of “friending” patients on these social networking sites.

Good or bad for the medical profession?

It is still unclear if these platforms will help or harm the physician-patient relationship, or if social media establishes good standards and a physician’s responsibility to ensure a patient’s privacy, as required by HIPAA. Twitter and Facebook can have a tremendous influence on a physician’s personal “brand.” Therefore, physicians should not post anything relating to a patient, as stated by Dr. Bryan Vartabedian on KevinMD Blog “Tips for doctors who use Twitter.” Dr. Vartabedian also advises that anything posted on Twitter (and Facebook) is permanent and can be recovered by future employers and partners.

Similarly, JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association) published a recent article on social networking sites and the growing challenges for the health care industry. The concern is primarily with medical students who have grown up with this platform. The article found a growing number of medical students abusing social media, by posting unprofessional content such as pictures of alcohol, use of profanity, and sexually-suggestive material. In fact, in an effort to help students not jeopardize their future residencies or careers, more and more medical universities are implementing policies and warning students of the potential dangers of maintaining a social networking site.

Although there are many benefits when using social media, every medical professional should be cautious and avoid posting anything relating to their patients. One click of the button can bring about lawsuits and demean a physician’s reputation and their affiliated organization(s).

As always, for more insights into Healthcare Public Relations …