By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health 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
    What Are the Benefits of CBD?
    November 27, 2021
    How to Measure Adult Diapers- The Ultimate Guide to Picking the Right Size
    March 8, 2022
    medicine cabinet
    The Effect Of Finished Dosage Form Manufacturing In New Drugs
    July 5, 2022
    Latest News
    6 Essential Strategies for Improving Your Medical Practice
    January 25, 2023
    Staying Positive While Living with Mesothelioma
    January 24, 2023
    The Many Health Benefits of Being Outdoors
    January 17, 2023
    How to Assess a Safe Placement of a Nasogastric or Nasoenteric Tube and Its Complications
    January 19, 2023
  • 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
    Who Will Save the Independent Physicians?
    February 2, 2013
    Image
    Caring For Chronic Illnesses Should Be Different
    May 26, 2013
    hospital bureaucracy
    Don’t Let Paperwork Get in the Way of Your Work’s Purpose
    September 25, 2013
    Latest News
    Simplifying the Genetic Testing Process: How At-Home Kits are Changing the Game
    January 25, 2023
    9 Hospitals That Have Introduced Green Initiatives
    January 25, 2023
    Why a Health Retreat Can Be the Best Medicine
    January 12, 2023
    Best Money-Saving Tips for Health Managers
    January 12, 2023
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Social Media in Health Care: The Genie is out of the Bottle
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Latest News
ABA therapist
Everything You Need to Know About Applied Behavior Analysis
Health
Small Lifestyle Changes That Can Have A Big Impact On Your Well-Being
lifestyle Wellness
The Future Of Medicine: How Immunotherapy Is Saving Lives
The Future Of Medicine: How Immunotherapy Is Saving Lives
Technology
medical practice and technology advancement
6 Essential Strategies for Improving Your Medical Practice
Technology
digital dental x-ray
How Does A Digital Dental X-Ray Work?
Dental health
Aa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Aa
Search
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Social Media > Social Media in Health Care: The Genie is out of the Bottle
Social Media

Social Media in Health Care: The Genie is out of the Bottle

GlennLaffel
Last updated: 2011/05/09 at 12:10 PM
GlennLaffel
Share
7 Min Read
SHARE

Fifteen years ago, protecting patient confidentiality was a simple matter for physicians. Keep your voice down in restaurants and elevators, make sure the door is closed when you speak on the telephone, and guard your patients’ paper medical records like a mother hawk.

Fifteen years ago, protecting patient confidentiality was a simple matter for physicians. Keep your voice down in restaurants and elevators, make sure the door is closed when you speak on the telephone, and guard your patients’ paper medical records like a mother hawk.

genie Social Media in Health Care: The Genie is out of the BottleSocial media has changed that. Two weeks ago, a physician was fired from a Rhode Island hospital and cited for ‘unprofessional conduct’ by the state medical board after she posted information to Facebook that could be used to identify a patient. She did not name the patient, but included information about the patient’s unusual condition that would have allowed unauthorized third parties to identify the patient if they wanted to.

The physician deleted her Facebook account and will attend a CME course to help her get clear on patient-physician confidentiality issues in the age of social media.

More Read

4 Top Reasons Why App Developers Love Apple Health Records API

Digital Marketing Dominates Healthcare Advertising
Should Healthcare Care About Branding?
How can Healthcare Professionals Manage their Reputation Online
How to Handle Negative Physician Reviews and Feedback

This physician is not alone. A recent review by Lagu and colleagues showed that 17% of blogs by health professionals included information that could be used to identify a patient or the patient’s physician. Three blogs contained identifiable pictures.

Nothing in their training or their experiences in the era before social media could prepare physicians for the sudden, profound impact it has had on their practices. These new tools are disrupting decades-old codes of conduct, not to mention the very processes by which care is rendered and providers communicate with patients and their colleagues.

To be clear, I firmly believe that physicians and all health professionals should aggressively adopt social media to enhance the care and support they give to patients. This includes providers who have yet to get in the game. At a minimum, providers are obligated to join the fray because their patients use these sites to find information, seek support and make health decisions for themselves. 

Beyond this defensive rationale, social media can improve the quality of care and the overall patient experience with care systems. For example, many providers use Facebook pages to create a ‘personality’ for their practices. For those with unique skills or service offerings, social media helps them get the word out. The tools afford providers great ways to connect with colleagues and perform public health outreach. Social media also lets physicians help patients access support networks (a difficult task in the pre-social media age for homebound or geographically isolated patients, or those with rare diseases).

That said, social media poses vexing challenges for physicians. Should I accept friend requests from patients on Facebook? Should I trust advice from unknown physicians on Sermo? What if I miss a patient’s tweet saying that his shortness of breath has worsened?

In some ways, these challenges are most difficult for the youngest physicians. They grew up in the era of social media. They are intimately familiar with it, but in many cases they have become ensnared by it. They have long-since created personal social histories online and exposed them to hundreds, if not thousands of acquaintances. Their challenge is to manage this archive while forging identities as professionals.

A recent study by scientists at the University of Florida revealed the magnitude of their challenge. In the study, only 37% of medical students with profiles on Facebook had assured their entries were private. More than half had shared details about their sexual orientation, relationship status and political opinions online. In addition, 7 of 10 randomly-selected students had posted photos of themselves drinking alcohol, and 3 had joined groups that were either sexist (“Physicians looking for trophy wives in training”) or racially charged (“I should have gone to a blacker college”).

The problem is widespread. At least 60% of all medical schools have reported incidents in which medical students posted unprofessional content online, according to a recent study. Thirteen percent of the schools reported violations of patient confidentiality, as was the case with the Rhode Island physician. Other common offenses included the use of profanity (52%) and discriminatory language (48%), and the display of drunkenness (39%) and lewd behavior (38%). And since this study captured only the incidents that came to the attention of medical school deans, it reflects the tip of the iceberg.

Conclusion of Part I
When it comes to social media in medicine, the genie is indeed out of the bottle. Social media has grown explosively both inside and outside health care, and it is here to stay. It can be leveraged to improve care, but it seductively blurs personal and professional boundaries that had previously been easy to maintain, risking patient confidentiality and threatening the careers of those who misuse it.

Then again, the physician’s struggle to maintain a professional identity is as old as the profession itself. And this isn’t the first time physicians have had to incorporate innovation in their daily lives.

On Wednesday, I’ll present some ’best practices’ for social media use by physicians. In fact, I’ll start writing that piece right after I check my Twitter feed and update my status on Facebook.

TAGGED: social media

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
GlennLaffel May 9, 2011
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article Health Care Buzz Today
Next Article Ryan’s Plan

Stay Connected

1.5k Followers Like
4.5k Followers Follow
2.8k Followers Pin
136k Subscribers Subscribe

Latest News

ABA therapist
Everything You Need to Know About Applied Behavior Analysis
Health January 26, 2023
Small Lifestyle Changes That Can Have A Big Impact On Your Well-Being
lifestyle Wellness January 26, 2023
The Future Of Medicine: How Immunotherapy Is Saving Lives
The Future Of Medicine: How Immunotherapy Is Saving Lives
Technology January 26, 2023
medical practice and technology advancement
6 Essential Strategies for Improving Your Medical Practice
Technology January 25, 2023

You Might also Like

healthcare video marketing
MarketingSocial Media

How to Maintain a Successful YouTube Channel as a Healthcare Organization: Advantages of Video Marketing for your Medical Practice

November 9, 2022
social media addiction is harming teenage mental health
eHealthMental HealthSocial Media

5 Ways Social Media Affects Teen Mental Health

April 4, 2022
social media in healthcare
eHealthSocial Media

Ethics of Social Media Success and Instagram Influencers in Healthcare

October 6, 2021
MarketingSocial Media

7 Tips To Make Sure Your Medical Practice Is Found Online

March 22, 2019
Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Follow US

© 2008-2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?