When you consider social media, how do you see it a benefit for healthcare? What are the complications that have arisen? How do you think social media is best utilized in the healthcare industry? How do you believe social media may be changed to better protect the consumer?

When you consider social media, how do you see it a benefit for healthcare?

Social media provide HCPs with tools to share information, to debate health care policy and practice issues, to promote health behaviors, to engage with the public, and to educate and interact with patients, caregivers, students, and colleagues. HCPs can use social media to potentially improve health outcomes, develop a professional network, increase personal awareness of news and discoveries, motivate patients, and provide health information to the community.

Physicians most often join online communities where they can read news articles, listen to experts, research medical developments, consult colleagues regarding patient issues, and network. There they can share cases and ideas, discuss practice management challenges, make referrals, disseminate their research, market their practices, or engage in health advocacy. A growing minority of physicians also uses social media to communicate directly with patients to augment clinical care

What are the complications that have arisen? 

However, they also present potential risks to patients and HCPs regarding the distribution of poor-quality information, damage to professional image, breaches of patient privacy, violation of personal-professional boundaries, and licensing or legal issues

Poor Quality of Information

The main limitation of health information found on social media and other online sources is a lack of quality and reliability. Authors of medical information found on social media sites are often unknown or are identified by limited information. In addition, the medical information may be unreferenced, incomplete, or informal. While evidence-based medicine de-emphasizes anecdotal reports, social media tend to emphasize them, relying on individual patient stories for collective medical knowledge. Similar problems exist with traditional online media; however, the interactive nature of social media magnifies these issues, since any user can upload content to a site. Social media users may also be vulnerable to both hidden and overt conflicts of interest that they may be incapable of interpreting.

Damage to Professional Image

A major risk associated with the use of social media is the posting of unprofessional content that can reflect unfavorably on HCPs, students, and affiliated institutions. Social media convey information about a person's personality, values, and priorities, and the first impression generated by this content can be lasting. Perceptions may be based on any of the information featured in a social media profile, such as photos, nicknames, posts, and comments liked or shared, as well as the friends, causes, organizations, games, and media that a person follows

Breaches of Patient Privacy

Concerns regarding the use of social media by HCPs frequently center on the potential for negative repercussions resulting from the breach of patient confidentiality. Such infractions may expose HCPs and health care entities to liability under federal HIPAA and state privacy laws.

HIPAA, as modified by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) act, governs the permitted use and disclosure of patient information by covered entities, including HCPs and hospitals. The HITECH act details privacy-breach notification requirements and expands various mandates to include business associates. Section 13410(d) addresses civil and criminal penalties for violations that are based on the nature of the violation, as well as resultant harm. Although the use of social media isn't specifically referenced, these tools can certainly present risks under HIPAA and HITECH. An HCP may breach federal HIPAA/HITECH or state privacy laws in a number of ways when posting information, comments, photos, or videos concerning a patient to a social networking site. Whether communicating with or about patients on social media, breaches of patient confidentiality can result in legal action against an HCP and potentially his or her employer. However, it is important to note that HIPAA does not restrict the distribution of medical information that has been "de-identified."

Violation of the Patient-HCP Boundary

HCPs who interact with their patients on social media may be violating the patient-HCP boundary even if patients initiate the online communication. A recent study found that patients often extend online "friend" requests to their physicians on Facebook. However, very few physicians reciprocate or respond, since it is generally thought to be ill-advised for an HCP to interact with a patient through a general social media forum such as Facebook. In addition, organizational policy statements often discourage personal online communication between HCPs and patients.

HCPs should therefore become familiar with the privacy settings and terms of agreements for the social media platforms to which they subscribe so that they can maintain strict privacy settings on their personal accounts. Rather than "friending" or communicating with a patient on social media, HCPs can suggest that the patient set up a website that is specifically designed for posts regarding medical events, so that the HCP can follow the updates in a more professional manner.
Licensing Issues

The use of social media can also adversely affect an HCP's credentials and licensure. State medical boards have the authority to discipline physicians, including imposing restrictions or suspending or revoking licenses. These penalties can be meted out for unprofessional behavior, such as the inappropriate use of social media, sexual misconduct, breaches of patient privacy, the abuse of prescribing privileges, and the misrepresentation of credentials.

Legal Issues

The widespread use of social media has introduced new legal complexities. A number of constitutional rights can be applied to the use of social media, such as freedom of speech, freedom from search and seizure, and the right to privacy; however, these rights can be successfully challenged.

How do you think social media is best utilized in the healthcare industry?

It has become a communication tool for patients. It has become a communication tool for providers. It has become a tool for healthcare education.

Many social media tools are available for health care professionals (HCPs), including social networking platforms, blogs, microblogs, wikis, media-sharing sites, and virtual reality and gaming environments. These tools can be used to improve or enhance professional networking and education, organizational promotion, patient care, patient education, and public health programs.

 How do you believe social media may be changed to better protect the consumer?

That is because social media is widely known for each individuals. Protecting the privacy of consumer is one of the most significant concerns related to social media use in healthcare. Numerous instances have occurred in which healthcare workers have posted pictures of, or confidential information about, patients on professional or personal social media pages without the patients' consent. Regardless of whether these actions were intentional or inadvertent, they violated confidentiality and the patients' privacy rights.