Much like walking on a tightrope, participating on social media is a science as well as an art.
People post on
social media all the time. They like to post pictures, tag their location when
they are somewhere cool and they even like to write about what they are
eating. Unfortunately, many people do not see any harm in what they post. For
example, below is an example of somebody posting something that they perceived
as innocent and, in their eyes, thoughtful:
In an assisted living center, a housekeeper
posted a picture of a vision and hearing impaired resident on her social
networking webpage, with the caption "This is my friend," along with
the resident's first name.
By posting the picture
of the resident without their consent, the employee violated HIPAA Privacy
regulations. After the violation was brought to the employees’ attention, the employee
apologized and immediately removed the photo. She said she was not aware that a
person could not do such a thing without the resident's consent. While
the employee did not have malicious intent, the action was still a violation of
the resident’s privacy.
Social media is a double edged sword. If used properly,
social media can be an amazing tool that can be used in many beneficial ways.
However, if used improperly, social media can do extensive damage to the user
and the organization they work for.
Dangers of Social Media
Use of social media by healthcare professionals can present
some challenges and possibly open the door to HIPAA Privacy violation and
future liability. Here are some examples of social media privacy violations
that have lead to a HIPAA Privacy audit:
- Posting pictures of patients/residents without their consent
- Posting a video of a patient
- Posting a video describing a patient or a patients situation
- Posting a “selfie” in a restricted area where Protected Health Information (PHI) is visible
- Writing a post or comment about a patients situation
These social media posts can severely damaging to an
organization and to the individual who’s privacy had been compromised. In
addition to these actions leading to a HIPAA Privacy audit, these type of
social media posts also have a negative effect on the reputation of the
healthcare organization. Privacy violations do not go unnoticed by other
patients and these privacy violations do cause patients to rethink their trust
in their healthcare provider.
As with walking a tightrope, it is very easy to slip and
fall into unwanted territory with social media posts.
Beauty of Social Media
While social media can have many negative effects on an
organization and patients, it can also be used for some great things. These are
some examples where social media can have a positive impact in the healthcare
world:
- Educate followers with various health tips
- Maximize exposure of an organizations community contribution
- Give patients a platform for them to write positive reviews
- Celebrate the accomplishments of your employees (post with their permission)
- Announce specials, discounts, or new product
There is so much an organization can do with social media
that will have a positive effect. However, social media posting in the
healthcare industry is like walking a very fine line. When posting on social
media, it is important to have established guidelines and policies in writing.
This will enable a healthcare provider to safely post on social media without
fear of slipping and falling into unwanted territory.
Be sure to take to have documented training on social media
for your employees. They need to know the impact their social media posting can
have on patients and on the organization itself. In addition, having documented
training will help protect the organization against liability if the need
arises to discipline an employee for not following social media policies and
procedures.
If done right, having a positive social media presence will
be very beneficial to an organization. However, it is important to stay on that
narrow rope when posting. It can be very easy to move slightly to one side or
the other and fall into unwanted post territory.
For more information about safely posting on social media,
please watch the following webinar:
