As social media grows in importance to the patient, it is also becoming popular for rheumatologists to set up their own online presence. However, due to professional and other concerns, it isn’t just a matter of setting up a page. “It is good to maintain a separation between your professional and personal existence on social media,” says Chris Collins, MD, program director for the division of rheumatology at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. “Have one Facebook page for Doctor Smith Rheumatology and another for John Smith. Don’t put pictures of your kids on your professional page.”
The other major caveat is to remember that everything you write will be permanent. Don’t put anything on either account that you don’t want people to see in the future. Be careful about ranting and raving about any issue, as this could adversely affect your career or license. Also, be very cognizant of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and other privacy concerns. Some physician groups have released various social media guidelines for physicians to consider when interacting in public forums (see partial list below). While there are differences in the depth of the suggestions, they all at least talk about the need to understand and use the privacy settings of the outlet(s) you use and maintain appropriate physician–patient boundaries in the less-formal social media setting, in addition to the separation and permanence issues talked about above.
Social Media Guidelines
- American Academy of Family Physicians. Social Media for Family Physicians: Guidelines and Resources for Success: www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/about_site/SocialMediaFamPhys.pdf
- Federation of State Medical Boards. Model Policy Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Social Media and Social Networking in Medical Practice: www.fsmb.org/pdf/pub-social-media-guidelines.pdf
- American College of Physicians/Federation of State Medical Boards. Online Medical Professionalism: Patient and Public Relationships: Policy Statement From the American College of Physicians and the Federation of State Medical Boards. Annals of Internal Medicine: http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1675927
