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
    HIPPA compliance
    How Medical Office Staff Can Make Your Practice HIPAA Compliant
    October 29, 2021
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    February 10, 2022
    Which Mushroom Capsules Are Good for Your Health?
    May 5, 2022
    Latest News
    How to Combat Home Sickness After Moving Abroad
    March 19, 2023
    4 Ways to Recover from a Broken Hip
    March 14, 2023
    What Are Dietary Supplements: Purpose, Benefits, & Facts
    March 15, 2023
    5 Benefits of Receiving Acupuncture Regularly
    March 9, 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
    Suffering in Silence: When Doctors Fail to Ask The Right Questions
    February 26, 2013
    Bundled Payments
    Bundled Payments: Rewarding Quality and Value
    April 16, 2014
    Image
    AMA Awards $11M to Medical Schools Poised to Transform #meded
    June 21, 2013
    Latest News
    3 Ways to Improve the U.S. Healthcare System By 2030
    March 14, 2023
    6 Steps To Ensure Speed And Efficiency Of Clinical Studies
    March 14, 2023
    5 Most Valuable Healthcare Programs in 2023
    March 8, 2023
    The Everest Foundation’s Mission to Support Inclusive Healthcare
    February 24, 2023
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: State Medical Boards Address Inappropriate Online Physician Behaviors
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Latest News
mental health tips
Caring for Your Mental Health Should Be a Top Priority
Mental Health
combat home sickness
How to Combat Home Sickness After Moving Abroad
Health News
depression signs
Early Signs of Depression that You Shouldn’t Ignore
Mental Health
positive mental health
How to Build a Positive Mental Health Environment
Mental Health
broken hip recovery
4 Ways to Recover from a Broken Hip
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 > Policy & Law > Medical Ethics > State Medical Boards Address Inappropriate Online Physician Behaviors
Medical EthicsSocial Media

State Medical Boards Address Inappropriate Online Physician Behaviors

Barbara Ficarra
Last updated: 2013/01/19 at 9:51 AM
Barbara Ficarra
Share
9 Min Read
SHARE

 

A new report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, “Online Professionalism Investigations by State Medical Boards: First, Do No Harm,” by S. Ryan Greysen, MD, MHS, MA; David Johnson, MA; Terry Kind, MD, MPH; Katherine C. Chretien, MD; Cary P. Gross, MD, MPH; Aaron Young, PhD; and Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MS, addresses which inappropriate online behaviors would prompt investigation by state medical boards.

 

A new report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, “Online Professionalism Investigations by State Medical Boards: First, Do No Harm,” by S. Ryan Greysen, MD, MHS, MA; David Johnson, MA; Terry Kind, MD, MPH; Katherine C. Chretien, MD; Cary P. Gross, MD, MPH; Aaron Young, PhD; and Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MS, addresses which inappropriate online behaviors would prompt investigation by state medical boards.

More Read

benefits of used and refurbished medical imaging equipment for your medical practice

Why Your Medical Practice Needs Used or Refurbished Medical Equipment

5 Ways Social Media Affects Teen Mental Health
Medical Negligence Solicitors in Dublin: How to Find the Right One
A Guide to Medical Billing Services for Small Practices
Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Timeline: 4 Things To Remember

The authors partnered with the Federation of State Medical Boards and in a national survey presented a series of ten hypothetical vignettes for inappropriate online physician behavior to the Federation of State Medical Boards and 70 state medical and osteopathic boards.

Surveys were sent to the executive director of each board. Respondents were asked to assess the likelihood of further investigation into a behavior using a four-point scale from “very unlikely” to “very likely.”The Federation of State Medical Boards deems it necessary for physicians to be aware of potential consequences for their online actions.

“Physicians should be aware of the potential consequences for online behaviors as depicted in these vignettes and apply the same high ethical and professional standards in their online actions as they would in their actions offline.”

It’s clear from the report that the state boards feel that physicians should “never” breach professionalism standards of behaviors by violating patient confidentiality, alcohol abuse or engage in inappropriate relationships with patients.

While the vignettes identified in this article are hypothetical, “the vignettes and images were created to look exactly what we found online,” said Dr. Ryan Greysen, today in a telephone interview.

While the Federation of State Medical Boards will not be the entity to implement specific guidelines for consequences for physicians, it will be up each state board to address the issues, said Greysen. However, if they encounter behavior from physicians which is inappropriate online or offline, they are within “jurisdiction to act on it.” “They don’t feel restrained from taking action for what happens online if it’s inappropriate,” he added.

According to the survey, what type of inappropriate online behavior by physicians would lead to an investigation?

There was a high consensus among respondents that physicians should never post:

  • Misinformation on physician practice website
  • Misleading information about clinical outcomes
  • Use patient images without consent
  • Misrepresent credentials
  • Inappropriately contact with patients such as using dating sites to “chat” with patients

There was a moderate consensus for investigation, or those that were considered a “gray area,” included:

  • Depicting alcohol intoxication
  • Violating patient confidentiality
  • Using discriminatory speech

Online behaviors that were not likely to result in investigation included:

  • Derogatory speech toward patients
  • Showing alcohol use without intoxication
  • Patient confidentiality|Narrative blog of patient encounter with no identifiers

The authors note that many of the online violations would be considered violations offline, too, according to established professional codes. The researchers suggest that standards for online behavior may need to be established as they have been for offline behavior.

The vignettes used in the article are to increase awareness of specific online behaviors that physicians should never engage in. Despite guidelines from various organizations such as AMA, Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) it will be up to the medical boards from each state to identify consequences for inappropriate behaviors.

The goal is to increase awareness of appropriate online behaviors which “may reduce investigations and improve online professionalism for physicians.”

“Online activity goes back to the basic principles of professionalism,” said Greysen. He stated the authors’ did discuss whether online activity is a First Amendment Issue and “in the case of licensed professionals, if they violate the code of ethics, the state medical boards have the authority to bring sanctions against them.”

Authors’ note:

“Beyond the potential for board investigation, there may be other legal consequences for violations of online professionalism as depicted in our vignettes, especially if these trends continue. Hospitals may suspend or terminate privileges; employers may terminate employment and could even bring suit against physicians for negative publicity as a consequence of unprofessional content posted by physicians. Likewise, patients could bring suit for violations of privacy under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that could also be prosecuted by the Department of Health and Human Services.”

Additional information about the survey:

“For each vignette, respondents were asked to assume that the online content was openly accessible to the public and resulted in a complaint to their medical board. They were then asked to rate the likelihood of further investigation at their board in response to the content presented. Response choices used a 4-point incremental scale from “very unlikely” to “very likely,” with an additional option for “don’t know.” Respondents also could provide free text comments on each vignette after choosing from these responses.

The authors’ findings “underscore the need for more continuing education of physicians in practice about potential interpretations and consequences of online actions so that their social media presence can be a professional benefit instead of a liability.”

Bottom line

Investigations into online inappropriate physician conduct will be up to the state boards, and as the authors find, continuing education in social media use by physicians is needed.  Online behavior from physicians and any other licensed health care professional should mimic their professional life offline.  It’s imperative that professional ethics is maintained online and offline.

Finally, this fascinating study found that online behaviors such as derogatory speech toward patients or showing alcohol use without intoxication were not likely to result in investigation; however, these types of behavior aren’t professional and could damage the reputation and image of the individual and the profession.

Your turn

What are your thoughts on  physicians online use in social networking sites?    Are you a physician or another licensed health care professional?  How do you use social media?  What rules guide you?

As always, thank you for your valuable time and insights.
Source:
“Online Professionalism Investigations by State Medical Boards: First, Do No Harm” by S. Ryan Greysen, MD, MHS, MA; David Johnson, MA; Terry Kind, MD, MPH; Katherine C. Chretien, MD; Cary P. Gross, MD, MPH; Aaron Young, PhD; and Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MS – January 15, 2013 Annals of Internal Medicine Volume 158 • Number 2- Ann Intern Med. 2013;158

Annals of Internal Medicine

 

—

—

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 5:00 PM ET ON January 14, 2013
Article to be published January 15, 2013 Annals of Internal Medicine Volume 158 • Number 2 http://annals.org/ (American College of Physicians)

TAGGED: inappropriate online behavior

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.
Barbara Ficarra January 19, 2013
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article HIPAA Final Rule on Privacy, Security, Breach Notification and Enforcement Issued, Finally
Next Article Practicing Medicine Like An Elite Athlete: Competing Against Disease At The Highest Level

Stay Connected

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

Latest News

mental health tips
Caring for Your Mental Health Should Be a Top Priority
Mental Health March 19, 2023
combat home sickness
How to Combat Home Sickness After Moving Abroad
Health News March 19, 2023
depression signs
Early Signs of Depression that You Shouldn’t Ignore
Mental Health March 19, 2023
positive mental health
How to Build a Positive Mental Health Environment
Mental Health March 15, 2023

You Might also Like

hospitals need to prevent medical liability lawsuits
Medical EthicsPolicy & Law

Top 5 Risks Hospitals Face When it Comes to Legal Liability

November 15, 2022
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
protect patient's information
Health ReformMedical EthicsPolicy & Law

7 Key Tips To Protecting Patient Health Information

September 8, 2022
medical negligence lawyers are important in the uk
Medical EthicsPolicy & Law

Common Reasons People Need Medical Negligence Professionals

August 21, 2022
//

We influence million of users and is the most authentic source of information on healthcare business and technology news.

Quick Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
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?