With growing numbers of pediatricians using social media to communicate with their patients, the American Academy of Pediatrics gave 12 recommendations on how to use it ethically and professionally, in a March 1 report published in the organization's journal, Pediatrics.
Twelve things to know:
- Pediatricians who use social media should have separate personal and professional pages. Patients and their parents should strictly be directed to the professional page.
- Pediatricians' personal pages should have privacy settings to prevent unauthorized access. The professional page should be set to prevent tagging.
- Critically think about whether to post something before posting it, since viewers can see it before the post is deleted.
- Pediatricians should follow federal and state privacy laws, in addition to policies of the organization or professional society they belong to.
- Independent practitioners should develop social media policies and widely distribute it to staff, patients and guardians. Review regularly and update occasionally as needed.
- Pediatricians should use HIPAA-compliant sites with encryption when communicating with patients and their families. Refrain from sharing personal health information on social media unless previously authorized by the patient or their guardian.
- In social media posts, personal information about patients should be omitted.
- Accepting and initiating friend requests from current patients is discouraged. Use discretion when accepting and initiating friend requests from former patients and their families.
- Searching for patient information on social media or the internet should have a clinical purpose. Any information obtained through these practices should be disclosed to the patient before being recorded on their chart.
- Pediatricians should monitor their page for inaccuracies. Negative reviews warrant a thoughtful response.
- Providing medical responses through social media may create documentation, follow-up, state licensing and liability implications.
- Conflicts of interest in posts online should be disclosed.