By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Doctors and Social Media: Personal vs. Professional Online Content
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Social Media > Doctors and Social Media: Personal vs. Professional Online Content
Social Media

Doctors and Social Media: Personal vs. Professional Online Content

Barbara Ficarra
Barbara Ficarra
Share
4 Min Read
Doctor on Computer ID-10035343
SHARE

 

Doctor on Computer ID-10035343

 

Doctor on Computer ID-10035343

More Read

New Ways to Incorporate Video into Your Healthcare Marketing Campaign
The Sacred Duty of a Mommy Blogger
The Doctor will SKYPE You Now
Healthcare Consumerism: Marketing’s New Imperative
Have You Claimed Your Hospital’s Location On Local Directories?

The topic of health care social media continues here on Healthin30, and legal expert, David Harlow, Esq, Health Care Attorney and Consultant at The Harlow Group, LLC in Boston, answers a series of questions focusing on the legal aspects of physicians engaging in social media.

Q: Barbara – In order to maintain professional boundaries, the American Medical Association recommends a separation between personal and professional content online. If inappropriate content is posted to a physician’s personal online platform, can the physician still be investigated by the state medical boards?

A: David Harlow, Esq. – If the inappropriate material can be tied back to the clinician (and of course it can be, even if it’s posted under a pseudonym or anonymously), then it may be grounds for action. The fact that it’s posted on a personal platform is not dispositive. Even if there is no explicit rule to that effect, physicians should know that the regulators take this very seriously, and will not let the absence of a specific rule stand in the way of investigation and action. For example, the board in Massachusetts, my home state, gives itself the flexibility to establish new rules in the course of a misconduct hearing; and other states likely do this as well. Some of the explicit rules are already so broad — grounds for investigation and sanctions include “engaging in conduct which has the capacity to deceive or defraud” — that extending grounds for sanctions to include inappropriate communication with individual patients, or the public at large, is not that great a stretch.

The Federation of State Medical Boards recently issued model social media policies. In these model guidelines, the Federation quoted its own guidelines on internet use, issued just over a decade ago, which highlighted the three central ethical standards applicable to internet use, generally, and to social media, in particular: candor, privacy and integrity.  See:  http://www.fsmb.org/pdf/pub-social-media-guidelines.pdf.

Doctors and Social Media – Two Photos Which Could Prompt State Boards to Investigate

State Medical Boards Addresses Inappropriate Online Physician Behaviors

Doctors and Social Media: What are the appropriate boundaries for the doctor/patient relationship?

American Medical Association–Professionalism in the Use of Social Media

 

A series of posts will continue  here on Healthin30 on the legal aspects of social media, with legal expert, David Harlow, Esq.  Stay tuned for more on health care social media with David Harlow, Esq.

Your turn

What are your thoughts on health care social media.  Do you think doctors should be online on Facebook and Twitter?  Are you a doctor engaging in social media?  Do you friend your patients?  Do you post personal content?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

As always, thank you for your valuable time.

 

 

Image courtesy of photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

TAGGED:legal
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Twitter Recognizes Boehringer Ingelheim
BusinessMedical EducationSocial Media

Twitter Recognizes Boehringer Ingelheim as a Pioneer

February 10, 2014
patient reviews for doctors
Social Media

Person-Centered Healthcare: Imagine Yelp for Your Hospital

November 29, 2013
cancer patient speak out
eHealthSocial Media

The Benefit of Being a Vocal Cancer Patient

September 8, 2014
Customer
BusinesseHealthSocial Media

Beyond the C-Suite: 3 Ways to Build Customer Focus

April 21, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?