If you were the medical professionals in these two examples, how would you respond to social media postings related to your actions?
- Case # 1: A medical intern was captured on a cellphone video, was ate bedside of a patient, holding a phone on his left hand and a paper ( a referral letter? ) on the other hand. This video was posted on Facebook with a caption (in Filipino language) “Are all doctors like this?…My patient is near death and he still does this?”
- Case # 2: A physician regularly conducting medical missions in one hinterland wrote several letters to local government authorities regarding the unusual prevalence of Hepatitis B in one tribe of local indigenous people. He asked for help to the same authorities for years. He related help never came from the government sector. As a last resort, he posted his difficulties on Facebook. This Facebook postings did receive a ton of encouragement and support. What’s more scathing though is the few “negative comments”. The physician is clearly devastated.
What’s common in these two examples?
Trial by publicity spinoff
First, the healthcare professional’s medical actions went public via a social media site. Second, while both healthcare professionals received encouragements and support, the negative comments hurt more in both cases.
Negative publicity
“Negative publicity” is one reason why healthcare professionals shy away from social media. Negative publicity take toll on personal and professional life. The reality is someone- somewhere and somehow, will post something about our medical actions online. It’s simply a question of “when”.
Key components of a social media response
A previous tweetchat about protecting online reputation summarises two key components of a social media response- a prompt but well thought out reply. A prompt, well thought out social media response could only come from a personal or institutional social network strategy.
Social Media Response Strategy
The recent spate of healthcare related negative comments online urges us to examine deeper these response strategies. Vanderbuilt University Medical Center developed a Social Network Response Guide for healthcare professionals on how to respond to social media postings related to their profession. You can find that algorithm here.
Dr. Iris Isip Tan adapted this Social Network Response Guide for UPCM/ PGH in developing their own social media policy.
The end goal of this guide is for the healthcare professional to have a calibrated response using the strategy of transparency, timelines for thinking and responding, a more personal tone and credible sources. How we implement this algorithm to our own specific case is one of the main goals of this tweetchat.
Join us this Saturday July 9, 2016 9 PM Manila time as we discuss how should healthcare professionals respond to social media posting related to the profession
Our aim for this upcoming chat is to provide template guides for healthcare professionals in responding to social media postings related to our profession.
- T1: How should healthcare professionals respond if the social media post about him or her is “positive”
T2: How should healthcare professionals respond if the social media post about him or her is “negative”
T3: How should healthcare professionals act if you are not directly related to the social media post or posting is not within your area of expertise.
Join the discussion via twitter, using the #HealthXPh in all your tweets, answering the above topic questions, from 9-10PM Manila time July 9, 2016.
