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
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    bowl of vegetable salad
    Raw Foods: benefits and harms
    November 9, 2021
    pros and cons of the keto diet
    Read This Before You Follow the Keto Diet
    May 18, 2022
    spinal cord injuries
    4 Potential Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries (and How to Seek Compensation)
    May 25, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    TBI: Some Surprising Statistics
    February 9, 2016
    Your Keys to Safer, Even More Secure Healthcare Cloud Services
    January 13, 2015
    4 Career Options in Healthcare Industry that Combine Big Data & Healthcare
    February 5, 2021
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Doctors and Social Media: What are the appropriate boundaries for the doctor/patient relationship?
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: What are the appropriate boundaries for the doctor/patient relationship?
Social Media

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

Barbara Ficarra
Barbara Ficarra
Share
3 Min Read
Doctor - Computer ID-10033361
SHARE

 

 

Doctor - Computer ID-10033361

 

More Read

Foursquare in Healthcare
The Healthcare Omnichannel Challenge
Is Your Social Media Just a Crummy Commercial?
Should Government Control Big Pharma Marketing?
Digital Analytics 101 for Healthcare Marketers: Blogging

 

Doctor - Computer ID-10033361

Continuing on the topic of physicians use with social media, 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 – What are appropriate boundaries for the doctor/patient relationship?

A: David Harlow, Esq. – Most physicians and authorities agree that a health care professional should not “friend” or otherwise connect with a patient (or accept a request to do the same) on Facebook or other online social media platforms for any purpose other than to advance the clinician-patient relationship, always being mindful of the patient’s right to privacy when engaged in open online dialogue that can be read by others.

Patients, of course, have the right to waive these concerns, as many do in this day and age, blogging about rare diseases, for example, in order to raise awareness or to gain insight from a clinician the patient would otherwise never see in real life.

Personal connections made on line, like those made in real life, are fraught with the risk of the clinician exploiting, or being seen as exploiting, what is generally considered to be an unequal power relationship.

In this day and age, however, the underlying premise about the relationship bears re-examination. Patients, who are engaged, educated and empowered to participate in their own health care — e-patients who are also wired, connected on line — are less likely to see themselves as being on the weak end of an unequal power relationship. It seems to me that the medical boards considering these issues should consider the possibility that a “one-size-fits-all” approach may not work.

Personal communications in online communities between clinicians and patients are not that different from those that may take place in a grocery store in a small town — patients may seek out a clinician’s advice for a “curbside consult.” Furthermore, some clinicians may wish to model responsible behavior and offer support to their patients through personal online accounts (e.g., Facebook). Posting “I’m enjoying a glass of zinfandel with dinner” is very different from posting a photo of drinking to excess.

For the time being, however, the most appropriate approach is to move conversations veering from the general to the individual clinical issues into a private and secure forum — or offline.

This is the first installment in a series of posts on the legal aspects of social media, with legal expert, David Harlow, Esq.

 

Image courtesy of photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Digital Health: Apps, Analytics & Agencies

December 18, 2013
epatient_2015
eHealthSocial Media

Interview with Healthcare Digital Futurist Fard Johnmar [PODCAST]

August 1, 2014
Image
Social Media

Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame Now Taking Nominations For 2013

March 19, 2013
social media channels
eHealthSocial Media

10 Great Social Media Channels to Use in HealthCare

October 15, 2013
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?