Social Media Health Check DR HELEN DIXON

INFORMATION SERVICES

GMCDoctors’ use of social media (2013)

How many of the following questions can you answer YES to?BE HONEST!

Have you ever accepted a friend request from a patient or someone you don’t know?

Using social media creates risks, particularly where social and professional boundaries become unclear. 

Once information is published online it can be difficult to remove as other users may distribute it further or comment on it.

Have you ever posted a comment/image or liked or shared a post that others might find offensive?

You must make sure that your conduct justifies your patients’ trust in you and the public’s trust in the profession.

Have you ever used social media while intoxicated?

Using social media has blurred the boundaries between public and private life, and online information can be easily accessed by others. 

Have you ever posted a video/photo of yourself doing a dare? (e.g. neck and nominate)

You should remember when using social media that communications intended for friends or family may become more widely available.

Have you ever posted a photograph of someone without their permission?

Once information is published online it can be difficult to remove as other users may distribute it further or comment on it.

Information about your location may be embedded within photographs and other content and available for others to see.

Have you ever discussed a colleague online?

You must treat colleagues fairly and with respect.

When interacting with or commenting about individuals or organisations online, you should be aware that postings online are subject to the same laws of copyright and defamation as written or verbal communications...

Have you ever discussed a patient online?

You should not share identifiable information about patients where you can be overheard, for example, in a public place or in an internet chat forum…

Social media sites cannot guarantee confidentiality whatever privacy settings are in place.

Have you ever posted anonymously or using a false identity?

If you identify yourself as a doctor in publicly accessible social media, you should also identify yourself by name. 

Any conflicts of interest?

So, how healthy is your online profile?IF YOU ANSWERED YES TO ANY OF THESE, YOU MAY NEED A SOCIAL MEDIA DETOX!

In November 2011, The Guardian reported details of 72 actions carried out against NHS staff for ‘inappropriately’ using social media The Guardian (9th Nov 2011): Trusts reveal staff abuse of social media

▪ Using social media to threaten/intimidate colleagues

▪ Sending inappropriate content to patients/colleagues via social media

▪ Distributing sexually explicit material via social media

▪ Making defamatory remarks about a current or past employer on social media

▪ Photographic evidence identified on social media of abuse of hospital equipment

▪ Photographic evidence of alcohol being consumed at work

Fitness to practice?

What does professionalism mean to you?

The standards expected of doctors do not change because they are communicating through social media rather than face to face or through other traditional media. 

Although the way medicalprofessionals use social media in their private lives is a matter for their own personal judgement, doctors and medical students should consider whether the content they upload onto the internet could compromisepublic confidence in the medical profession.

BMAUsing social media: practical and ethical guidance fordoctors and medical students

A waste of time?

Doctors’ use of social media can benefit patient care by:

▪ engaging people in public health and policy discussions

▪ establishing national and international professional networks

▪ facilitating patients’ access to information about health and services.

For the established physician, with a busy clinical practice, there is no need for additional unpaid engagement through social media. 

Dr Drummond

Using social media professionally

▪Create a professional online profile

▪ Follow organisations such as GMC, BMA, RCGP, etc.

▪ Keep up-to-date with research and share resources

▪Contribute to online discussions that share good practice▪ #MedEd #tipsfornewdocs

▪ Interact online at a conference

▪ Avoid opinions - stick to the facts!

Handling negative comments

KEEP CALM

REPORT, BLOCK AND

CARRY ON

Further resources

▪ Doctors use of social media - GMC▪ http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/21186.asp

▪ Interactive case studies - GMC▪ http://www.gmc-uk.org/gmpinaction/case-studies/dr-walker/scenario

-01/

▪ Social media use: practical and ethical guidance for doctors and medical students - BMA▪ http://bma.org.uk/practical-support-at-work/ethics/ethics-a-to-z

▪ Social media highway code – RCGP▪ http://www.rcgp.org.uk/social-media

▪ Queen’s University’s social media policy and guide▪ http://go.qub.ac.uk/socialmedia

Any questions?

For further advice, email socialmedia@qub.ac.uk or follow SocialMediaQUB on Facebook and TwitterRemember, if it’s

online, it isn’t private!