Doctors on Facebook – dangers of open society networks

 

Clinicians & Facebook: The Boundaries of Professionalism
Anne Meneghetti, MD
Director, Clinical Communications

Imagine a series of photos showing you in progressive stages of drunkenness at a party.  Imagine a quote in which you gripe about a particularly difficult day at work, using robustly colorful language. Imagine the reaction from patients, colleagues, or prospective employers as they view these on Facebook.  A study of medical trainees¹ found that nearly half had a Facebook account; 70% of them had posted photos showing alcohol, some with implied excess. Examples of foul language were present, as well as comments such as, “Physicians looking for trophy wives in training.”

In light of the unprecedented access to personal information on the web, consider the following if you choose to create a digital identity on Facebook:

1.
Scrupulously examine both privacy and profile settings, limiting access only to “friends” you accept; “friends of friends” might be patients.  Limit who can “tag” a photo of you or post on your personal page. Ignore “friend” requests from patients; explain your policy at the next face-to-face visit.

2.
If you choose to create a separate professional identity (Facebook business or group page), consider that page “fans” may perceive it as a direct hotline to you.  Privacy concerns, lack of 24/7 monitoring of messages, medical recordkeeping, and misuse of the page for emergency inquiries are serious issues.

3.
If you come across information about a patient through social networking sites, do not record it in the medical record without the patient’s consent.

Patients understand that clinicians are human beings with lives outside the office, and social media serves to personalize our profession. Maintaining a professional online persona preserves the mutual trust and respect we share with patients.

¹Thompson LA, J Gen Intern Med. 2008 Jul;23(7):954-7.

Epocrates Pulse: Social Media and Medicine