12 recommendations for pediatricians' ethical use of social media

With growing numbers of pediatricians using social media to communicate with their patients, the American Academy of Pediatrics gave 12 recommendations on how to use it ethically and professionally, in a March 1 report published in the organization's journal, Pediatrics.

Twelve things to know:

  1. Pediatricians who use social media should have separate personal and professional pages. Patients and their parents should strictly be directed to the professional page.

  2. Pediatricians' personal pages should have privacy settings to prevent unauthorized access. The professional page should be set to prevent tagging.

  3. Critically think about whether to post something before posting it, since viewers can see it before the post is deleted.

  4. Pediatricians should follow federal and state privacy laws, in addition to policies of the organization or professional society they belong to.

  5. Independent practitioners should develop social media policies and widely distribute it to staff, patients and guardians. Review regularly and update occasionally as needed.

  6. Pediatricians should use HIPAA-compliant sites with encryption when communicating with patients and their families. Refrain from sharing personal health information on social media unless previously authorized by the patient or their guardian.

  7. In social media posts, personal information about patients should be omitted.

  8. Accepting and initiating friend requests from current patients is discouraged. Use discretion when accepting and initiating friend requests from former patients and their families.

  9. Searching for patient information on social media or the internet should have a clinical purpose. Any information obtained through these practices should be disclosed to the patient before being recorded on their chart.

  10. Pediatricians should monitor their page for inaccuracies. Negative reviews warrant a thoughtful response.

  11. Providing medical responses through social media may create documentation, follow-up, state licensing and liability implications.

  12. Conflicts of interest in posts online should be disclosed.

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