By Debbie Myers
As the medical profession begins to dip its toe into social media, professional associations are starting to issue recommendations, particularly regarding Facebook. Last week, the British Medical Association issued new guidance to physicians advising them not to friend current or former patients on Facebook. The BMA’s recommendation is primarily targeted at protecting physicians from having their personal information accessed, thus possibly compromising the physician-patient relationship. At the same time, the Brits think it’s best that MDs also avoid getting too close a peek into their patients’ personal lives. The American Medical Association’s policy on Professionalism on the Use of Social Media doesn’t go as far as to say “don’t friend,” but it does warn physicians to use caution in posting and sharing information online.
Some physicians have jumped into social media with both feet, while others hold it at arm’s length. Kevin Pho, M.D., self-described as social media’s leading physician voice with over 36,000 followers on Twitter, encourages physicians to become smart about social media tools and says “utilizing social media properly gives physicians a powerful voice, and can help them build a positive, influential online persona.” But when it comes to Facebook, even Pho recommends that physicians adopt a “dual-citizenship” approach by creating a Facebook page for friends and family and one for professional purposes, with strict attention to monitoring privacy settings.
Interestingly, for one New York woman, it was having physicians as part of her Facebook friend network that she credits for saving her son’s life. As reported on the Today Show and on Slate.com, mother and author Deborah Copaken Kogan posted photos of her young son on Facebook when she became concerned that the rash her son had developed was more than strep or another common childhood illness. According to Kogan, within an hour of posting a picture of her son, she heard from three friends, two of whom are physicians, who advised her to take her son to the pediatrician immediately. Their diagnosis? Kawasaki disease, a rare condition in children that left untreated, could result in serious complications. Kogan says the Facebook responses were the catalyst for her to act quickly. She called her pediatrician and tests confirmed that her son had the disease.
For Kogan, her doctor friends took a risk. They provided advice, to a friend, based on their knowledge. Had Kogan been a patient, these doctors may have been reluctant to speak out. I can’t blame them. It’s a balancing act for physicians. In this litigious world we live in, doctors need to be cautious. But they can be our friends and, for me, I’ve decided I need to add a few to my Facebook network – just to be on the safe side.
By delivering proven results for clients, Debbie has helped CRT/tanaka become one of the top 20 Health PR and marketing firms in the country. With 28 years of healthcare public relations and marketing experience, she has a strong background in strategic communications planning, branding and issues management. Debbie is an Executive Vice President at CRT/tanaka and leads the agency's Health & Healthy Lifestyle practice. Debbie holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, and a master’s in business administration from Averett University in Danville, Va.
Great post! My mom is a nurse practitioner and I always remember neighbors asking my mom for medical advice. She would always help but she’d also recommend they go see a doctor if she wasn’t sure (or just to cover herself). Now she works in mental health and she is very cautious about not having pictures of her family in her office for privacy and safety reasons. While she is on Facebook, I’ve helped her with her privacy settings too.
I think the suggestion for a personal Facebook profile and then having a Facebook page is a good one. But I agree, it’s always been to nice to have medical professionals in the family (and now my best friends is a physicians assistant). Luckily for the woman in the story she also had friends that were medical professionals. I think the moral is if you don’t have friends or family members in the medical field then maybe you need to go make some (only kidding)!
Posts like these do remind me how convenient it is to have access to people like my mom. It’s easy to take for granted!
There’s definitely a fine line since the majority of the social channels were started for friends to meet and interact. With the amount of exposure this gives businesses, the waters can start to get a little muddy.
It’s a delicate balancing act between being held accountable for what you say, and not saying enough to keep people interested. Dual accounts is a great solution so the businesses can maintain family and professional contacts, and still allow an area to interact with past or future clients to earn that trust.
I must agree that work and family must be separated on Facebook. It is totally different to have a profile for professional use, promoting your business or as a doctor promoting your practice or getting more exposure by helping others, while on a personal profile you want to share photos with your family and friends. Maybe some people are comfortable enough to not separate the two.
I’m glad that the mom received medical advice so soon. Maybe I’m just from an older generation, but when I see my child with a nasty rash that I’m concerned of, I don’t take pictures of it and post it to the internet, I immediately go to the doctor with him.