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Social media profiles and industry guidelines for Healthcare Professionals
(Note: This post is also published at HealthXPh.net )

Two years ago, only a few healthcare professionals are using social media. Not so these days. The rule is , if you’re not on social media, you are the “exception”.

The growing popularity of social media and smartphone brought innovations in healthcare. Healthcare became “social”. The classic patient- provider relationship grew into networks or communities of collaborating patients, providers and healthcare institutions. Social media provided additional tools and avenues for learning diseases, get psychosocial support or spread advocacies.

But the ease of sharing in social media placed “privilege” healthcare information at risk of being “leaked” into public space. The ramifications of such breach in patient privacy and confidentiality is still isn’t fully understood. What is clear is it violates the patients rights and does not look very good for the healthcare provider. Thus the concern now is shifting from just “access”, to responsible use of social media.

How do we then evaluate if any social media post violates patient privacy? How does the post breaches the confidentiality clause inherent in patient- provider relationship? In the Philippines, the lack of social media guidelines (self or institutionally driven) creates confusion. (Note: It is for this reason that #HealthXPh spearheaded and is continually advocating a crowd sourced Social Media and Medical Professionalism Manifesto. You should sign here if you support this advocacy too!)

I once asked a provider his reaction to a negative comment about a seemingly “innocuous”, run of the mill work scene (an OR picture with the patient’s belly inside the picture) he posted in his facebook timeline. His answer is classic:

“It’s my personal account anyway. I can do whatever I want there. Besides, the privacy settings are strictly limited to my friends only. “

There is confusion on what constitute private space on social media. Also, many believe (though I probably could not prove this now) there’s a dichotomy between “personal” and “professional” social media profiles. There are still HCPs believing one profile does not overlap each other even though both represent only one and the same person.

We at #HealthXPh would like to move forward the discussion of medical professionalism and social media guidelines in the Philippines. The healthcare social media manifesto is a work in progress. We are asking for your opinion. Join us this Saturday April 25, 2015 9:00 PM Manila time, as we discuss healthcare social media profiles and industry guidelines.
- T1: Should personal social media accounts of HCPs be exempted from social media policy or guidelines?
- T2: Who do you think should enforce healthcare social media guidelines?Government? HCP governing bodies, like PMA, PNA? Why?
- T3: Will social media policy stifle the use of social media in healthcare? If yes, how?
April 25, 2015
Here’s why healthcare professionals should be on social media
Should healthcare professionals be on social media?

I’ve been asked this question countless times before and answered it in several forums. I said YES healthcare professionals should be cautiously on social media in last year’s Philippine College of Physicians convention (Facebook for physicians; Use, Misuse, Abuse, Confused) . I said YES, HCPs should be on social media responsibly on #healthXPh‘s regular twitter chat (post and the chat transcript ) and recently, I answered a resounding YES, HCPs should be on social media, when an audience asked a similar question during the Healthcare Social Media Summit 2015 (#hcsmPH)  in Cebu.

Before explaining my answer, let me digress a bit and explore the reason why healthcare professionals are NOT on social media.

I asked a physician in the Philippines why he is not on social media (as a physician). This physician has a huge private practice and is a consultant in some well known healthcare institutions in a city. He answered me this:

“I don’t want to be known as a physician on social media. I’m pretty scared of what get posted on my profile.  It might backfire on me. Anybody can throw malicious comments on me, or hack my account and wreak havoc on my profile! My healthcare institution also forbid us to post anything related to work without clearing it from them first. Healthcare is my work so I need to ask them first every time I post on social media! That’s crazy! Besides, I was quite successful with my practice without social media, why would I need one now?”

Such is a classic answer from a professional working in a highly regulated industry. Physicians and lawyers are examples of people working in a highly regulated industry. Highly regulated industries like law and healthcare have strict privacy and confidentially rules governing sharing of information . The ease of sharing private and confidential information on social media is what healthcare professionals and healthcare institutions is apprehensive about. This distrust for social media and the people using it stem from some well known misconceptions about social media.

Social media is person to person (P2P)

That social media is just for marketing, branding and showing off is not true. Social media is a person to person (P2P) network. We tend to forget that both ends of social media conversations and networks are people. We connect with people and build networks tru social media, just like what we do everyday, even at work.  It is interesting to note that in highly regulated industries like healthcare, we service people! How can healthcare miss the world of social media then if we are to service real people or connect with them?

This is one very good point from Mark Schaefer (@markschaefer) in his book Tao of Twitter. Highly regulated industries allows the people in it to attend conventions, workshops, seminars etc. What do they do in those events? Meet like minded people, learn from industry experts, expand networks, sometimes build brands, market etc. All of these we can do in social media too, often without leaving the comforts of our home or the workplace.

So why are healthcare professionals missing the world of social media? Apprehensions? Misconceptions?

Social media is public space, no matter how private your settings are.

“I have social media profiles but its personal and secret to only a few friends.” Added my friend above. He has a social media account after all, only that it is a personal, “private” account. A word of caution about privacy settings. In the evolving social media and digital world, any post on internet particularly on social media, is a post on public space. What you privately post now, will come out on public searches tomorrow.

So while my physician friend is on social media (albeit privately), why is he still missing out a lot on the power of social media in healthcare? Remember, humans are basically social. Social media as it is evolving right now is really a person to person conversation, human connections. Therefore, authenticity is an important value.

That’s why I’m advocating HCPs should be on social media (if they’re not yet on it) and act as they would do daily, at work, when you connect with people or talk to them. That is with authenticity as a healthcare professional. Social media should just be an extension of your offline pprofession and you should act like one, accordingly.

Note: To guide healthcare professionals, how to act on social media, #HealthXPh summed up a crowdsource social media manifesto for healthcare professionals and publish it here. Sign to show support!

Again, I say yes, healthcare professionals should be in social media. What we do at work- “authentic helpfulness” ( to borrow @markschaefer term), talking to real people, of building networks and learning from our patients and colleagues, social media has an entire world of new tools to enhance this. That’s never been for show off in the first place!

Resources:
April 18, 2015
#HealthXPh recent tweet chat just broke all its previous analytics records, again!

Means, healthcare and patient advocates could be (twitter) rockstars too, someday.

Here’s why:

1. Interesting, enjoyable and humanely topic.
Humans are social. People like to discuss interesting, enjoyable and affirmative topic. Anything related to a healthcare advocacy is inherently positive I think. Advocacies are uniquely human activities. Right?

2. Global, like minded but opinion diverse participants.
Alas! I’m overwhelmed by the 77 participants! Thanks to the transcript, I have time to review the 77 thoughts thrown in the discussion. For information sponge like me, that’s just plain and simple, yebah!

3. Probing, enthusiastic and brutally honest moderator.
Okay, I might be exaggerating. But I simply stopped for a moment, to racked my brains for answers every time the moderator, Stef Dela Cruz (www.stefdelacruz) throw questions to participants. Special mention to the killer subquestions.

4. Open mindedness that could swallow a universe of ideas.
The exchange of ideas were passionate. I’m still amaze at how the 140 character tweets would trigger a (fast) flurry of exchanges without resulting to duels! The learnings are so vast! I’m beginning to think, social interactions online, like twitter is just an iteration of human interaction offline.

5. Very accommodating, grateful and positively vibed tweeps participating.
When you stumble upon like minded people on twitter, the first impression you’ll have is the politeness and courtesy extended to the newbies. As a newbie, I loved the kindness. Everybody likes positive vibes. Even the tweaked songs like “tweet, tweet, tweet, tweeeet!” by Doc Buboy is a reflection of how positivity is infective even in tweetverse!

Even healthcare and patient advocates could be rockstars too, on twitter that is! Agree?

March 8, 2015
The curious case of patient’s (or parts of them) photos on social media
Years ago I amputated the right leg of my first ever explosives maimed patient. In my angst of the cruelty this man has suffered, I posted a photo of that amputated leg on social media. I was careful not to put any identifying marks on the photo. I cannot even identify what extremity it was in that photo. I asked permission from the patient too although I doubt it if the person knew what social media is at that time. I was hoping that the brutality of the image would rally people against this type of cruelty. Desperate me maybe, but good intentions nonetheless.

In less than 24 hours, I had more cursing people (at the cruelty) than I expected. I also got more than two inquiries asking who’s leg(?) it was in the photo. Great! I got the desired rallying effect I wanted. And more. The inquiries made me pull out the photo less than 24 hours after posting.

In today’s contracting, interconnected space, it is very difficult to hide an identity on the net. It is even more difficult on social media. Posting photos on social media and hoping no one would identify it next to impossible Someone will eventually find out the identity of the picture, patient or whatever you posted on the net. Even corpses get identified. From the story above, I realized its such a folly to hide behind consents, disclaimers , non-identifying smokescreens and post on social media to further an agenda, no matter how good or noble you think it is.

This story comes to mind again after seeing not a few unmarked, non identifiable, patient (or patient parts) on my social media feed. I am sad, well squirmish actually . But I’m not here to proselytize. I’m just saying that as a medical professional in areas where identities of your patient could spell out death to other people (sometimes yours), would you still post those pictures on social media? In an ever evolving interconnected and permanent internet, will consent and disclaimers give us freedom to post pictures of patients on social media, no matter how unidentifiable that image is?

Join us this Saturday January 17, 2015 9PM as we tackle yet, again patient confidentiality and privacy on social media.
- T1. Under what circumstances would you consider posting a photo of a patient on a social media acceptable? Explain.
- T2. Under what circumstances would you allow a healthcare professional to post a picture of you on social media acceptable? Explain.
- T3. How can we hold healthcare professionals accountable for posting patient photos on social media?
January 17, 2015
How Social Media is shaping health care response to typhoon ravaged communities
During previous typhoons in the Philippines, particularly typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), social media made an impact and changed the way we handle disaster and rehabilitation. People searched for unaccounted relatives and friends from all communication channels, including social media. Typhoon updates and relief efforts were posted on social media sites. Comments and issues affecting post typhoon rehabilitation are played over social media sites. The country has a front line seat of what’s s happening before, during and after typhoon partly because of social media. Healthcare, which played a major role in the aftermath, has had a big boost from social media.

There were attempts at geo mapping medical personnel, healthcare institution and evacuation sites using social media tools-maps, tweets etc. Most of the healthcare and relief missions rallied and recruited volunteers from social media campaigns. The much needed medical supplies and support personnel somehow got bolstered by calls from social media sites. There was a frenzy of healthcare related activities and medical mission on social media. Seemingly random and unorganised, its undeniable social media made a great impact on post typhoon missions and rehabilitation.

Facing another super typhoon at our doorsteps, we enjoined our colleagues globally to help us harness social media as a tool for survival in a typhoon prone healthcare system of the Philippines.
- T1: How can social media help prepare a healthcare system prior to a typhoon?
- T2: Is there a role for social media healthcare during the onslaught of a typhoon?
- T3: How can social media healthcare help rehabilitate a “damaged” community?
We look forward tweet chatting you all on December 6, 2014 around 9:00Pm Manila time as we monitor Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) during its passage in the Philippines.
December 6, 2014