Social media impacts us personally and professionally on a daily basis. Most of us could not have envisioned the effect that social media has had upon us within the healthcare sector, including the field of psychiatry. In the coming years, social media use will only increase, potentially causing risk management and legal concerns within your practice. Although there is minimal caselaw of statutory regulations nationally concerning social media, it is anticipated that legal challenges will arise.
There are a multitude of issues when using social media including boundary issues, ethical issues, confidentiality issues, standard of care issues, and privacy issues. This column will address specifically safety and security of patient information with respect to the use of social media.
Social media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communications into an interactive dialog.2 Social media is used to connect individuals with each other in an online format. It can take on a variety of forms including electronic mail, Facebook, MySpace, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Skype, Foursquare, blogs and on-line dating sites. The use of social media spans across all ages and all professions, including psychiatry.
A critical issue when accessing or using a social media site when communicating with and about patients, is the degree of privacy and security available within that medium. As you all know, patients are entitled to confidentiality and whichever form of social media outlet you use, it remains of the utmost importance.
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