But, please, don't ask me to be your friend. That is, your Facebook friend.
Facebook, for those who have been able to resist the popular social networking site's magnetic force field, recently became the most visited Internet site in the U.S., ousting Google from the top position. Facebook "friends" can gain access to each other's profile pages and leave comments, view photos, share links and even send virtual gifts to one another. All of these activities are documented on a person's profile page for anyone with access to view.
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Now, I can split my physician colleagues into two camps. There's one camp that would not dream of being on Facebook. The mere mention of the F-word sends shivers down their spines: It is too personal, too much potential risk, a frivolous time-suck. Then, there's the other camp of colleagues who are on Facebook and either: a) have awkwardly dealt with a patient who added them as a friend or b) actively dread having a patient add them as a friend.
I am on Facebook, and I dread.
As social media have redefined (read: near-obliterated) the distinction between personal and professional identities, physicians have been grappling with how to define our professionalism in the digital age. There are currently no national guidelines for social media use by physicians (although the American College of Physicians is reportedly in the process of devising some), and few medical schools have social media policies in place.
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For many of us physicians on Facebook, the thought of opening up our personal pages filled with family photos, off-the-cuff remarks and potentially, relationship status and political and/or religious views to our patients gives us the heebie-jeebies. For one, there could be sharing of things not usually disclosed in a normal patient-physician encounter. At best, this could result in awkwardness. (For example, you discover I am a huge Wayne Newton fan, and you have previously sworn never to associate with someone who likes Wayne Newton. Purely hypothetical.) But, at worst, these disclosures could work to dissolve a hard-earned patient-physician bond built on trust and respect. Imagine if a patient tells his doctor he has been sober for months, yet recently uploaded a photo of himself doing a keg stand last weekend.
Having a so-called dual relationship with a patient -- that is, a financial, social or professional relationship in addition to the therapeutic relationship -- can lead to serious ethical issues and potentially impair professional judgment. We need professional boundaries to do our job well.
Much more serious are the potential threats to patient privacy that can occur when patients and physicians are communicating on a public platform such as Facebook.
Violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the law that protects against unauthorized disclosure of identifying health information, can result in fines up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment, besides being an ethical breach. The mere existence of a patient-physician relationship (e.g. having others suspect a Facebook friend is a patient) could be a violation of HIPAA.
Even behind the pseudosafety walls of "private" profiles, the social circles involved create a potential HIPAA minefield.
For these reasons, if you add me as your friend on Facebook, I will have to politely decline. Because I like you. Because I love being your doctor. And, because some lines shouldn't be crossed.
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Why You Shouldn't Facebook "Friend" Your DoctorOriginally from: http://www.nursinglink.monster.com/news/articles/13495-why-you-shouldnt-facebook-friend-your-doctor
View this post on my blog: http://travelnursesuccess.com/why-you-shouldnt-facebook-friend-your-doctor
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