Social Media Can Harm Your Practice

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Allowing social media in the office can put both patient information and your reputation in danger

According to a QuantiaMD survey of more than 4,000 physicians, “Physicians are highly engaged with online networks and social media. Nearly 90 percent of physicians use at least one site for personal use, and over 65 percent for professional purposes.”

A social media presence is essential for promoting your practice as Health IT Outcomes reported, but providers need to be aware of the risks as well. Because so many providers are using social media as it has evolved into more than just a way to connect with high school classmates, the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline (BOARD) has released  Policy Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Social Media and Social Networking in Medical Practice, hoping to advise providers on the proper use of social media.

The concern stems in part from a 2010 survey of Executive Directors at state medical boards in the United States where “92 percent indicated that violations of online professionalism were reported in their jurisdiction. These violations included Internet use for inappropriate contact with patients (69 percent), inappropriate prescribing (63 percent), and misrepresentation of credentials or clinical outcomes (60 percent). In response to these violations, 71 percent of boards held formal disciplinary proceedings and 40 percent issued informal warnings, suspensions (29 percent), or revocations of licensure (21 percent).”

One example of inappropriate behavior on social media presented by BOARD is, “A patient noted disrespectful language on a physician’s blog when the physician expressed frustration towards another patient who had to visit the emergency department multiple times for failing to monitor her sugar levels. The physician referred to the patient as “lazy” and “ignorant” on their blog.”

To avoid situations that put you and your practice at risk, BOARD recommends the following practices to ensure proper use of social media:

• Protecting the privacy and confidentiality of their patients
• Avoiding requests for online medical advice
• Acting with professionalism
• Being forthcoming about their employment, credentials and conflicts of interest
• Being aware that information they post online may be available to anyone, and could be misconstrued

HealthITSecurity adds, “BOARD reminded physicians to be aware that when communicating electronically, it’s difficult to verify that the person on the other end really is the patient. And, from the patient’s perspective, they may not be able to verify that a physician is on the other end. BOARD maintains that standards of medical care should not change if there’s a different medium in which physicians and their patients interact. In turn, BOARD discourages physicians from interacting with current or past patients on personal social networking sites such as Facebook.”

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