E-Professionalism for Providers: When clients/patients ‘friend’ request on social media
Social media in the medical world is a hot topic with a lot of blurry lines. This week in class, we are answering the question of would we accept ‘friend’ requests from patients/clients on social media? Why or why not? Numerous arguments exist on both sides of the spectrum of whether this type of interaction between patients and providers is appropriate or not. If one of my patients ‘friend requested’ me on a social media site such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (these are the main 3 I have ever used), I would not accept their request. What would you do in this situation? Looking for other’s thoughts as well. Below are my thoughts on why I would reject a request.
Let’s talk about both sides to this argument: pros and cons to social media connection between providers and patients/clients. One great pro of connecting to patients/clients online is building a personal relationship with a client. By getting to know the patient/client better through pictures, posts, and information online, providers can prepare more individualized and personal advice and care to that person. Aside from building relationships with patients through social media, patients can also use social media to connect with each other and with interdisciplinary teams. Some social media networks, such as Facebook, are already being used as platforms for group forum discussions on topics such as diabetes and foot care Abedin, et. al, 2017). This allows patients and providers to connect and provides support and education to one another through sharing stories and spreading health knowledge. These experiences can be powerful and uplifting for patients. Think of how emotionally effective a YouTube video may be at portraying how a patient struggling with a chronic disease is coping. Research has shown that videos like this that are emotionally charged actually highly motivate viewers to make behavioral changes (Househ, et. al, 2014). While all these reasons seem to be amazing uses of social media by patients, there are some reasons why providers and patients should not be interacting on social media sites.
When circling back to the initial question of friending a patient/client on Facebook, my stance is still no. One major issue I would have with this is potential violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) which draws too much legal attention to feel comfortable accepting that risk. Patients/clients may also ask questions that I may not feel comfortable answering online. I would feel more comfortable being part of a patient-provider online forum/blog group to share information rather than sharing through Facebook where a plethora of my personal life via photos, comments, and posts resides. Using a different platform such as website forum or blog and then advertising for the site via Facebook rather than having the discussion on Facebook itself may be more appropriate. This way, patient/client information is kept private along with providers. Forums are a wonderful space for discussion on chronic diseases. Other forms of communication can be used by these patients besides Facebook such as blogs with forums or hospital/clinic-operated online support groups to support patient empowerment while protecting private information. I have never had a personal experience with a patient ‘friend’ request on Facebook, but during my dietetic internship one of my preceptors sent me a request. In response, I waited until the completion of the rotation before I accepted the request to keep a professional boundary while we were working together.
Overall, us dietitians must remember that we are still held to a high standard and are governed by the same Code of Ethics that guide our practice (Helm et. al, 2016). We are liable for anything posted online and we must maintain professional boundaries between ourselves and our patients via social media. Due to the rise in social media usage, we must be aware of the intricacies that are slowly being woven into practice as these issues continue to develop.
Sources:
Abedin, T., Mamun, M. A., Lasker, M. A., Ahmed, S. W., Shommu, N., Rumana, N., & Turin, T. C. Social Media as a Platform for Information About Diabetes Foot Care: A Study of Facebook Groups. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 2017;41(1):97-101.
Helm, J., & Jones, R. M. Practice Paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Social Media and the Dietetics Practitioner: Opportunities, Challenges, and Best Practices. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2016;116(11):1825-1835.
Househ, M., Borycki, E., & Kushniruk, A. Empowering patients through social media: The benefits and challenges. Health Informatics Journal, 2014;20(1):50-58.
Let’s talk about both sides to this argument: pros and cons to social media connection between providers and patients/clients. One great pro of connecting to patients/clients online is building a personal relationship with a client. By getting to know the patient/client better through pictures, posts, and information online, providers can prepare more individualized and personal advice and care to that person. Aside from building relationships with patients through social media, patients can also use social media to connect with each other and with interdisciplinary teams. Some social media networks, such as Facebook, are already being used as platforms for group forum discussions on topics such as diabetes and foot care Abedin, et. al, 2017). This allows patients and providers to connect and provides support and education to one another through sharing stories and spreading health knowledge. These experiences can be powerful and uplifting for patients. Think of how emotionally effective a YouTube video may be at portraying how a patient struggling with a chronic disease is coping. Research has shown that videos like this that are emotionally charged actually highly motivate viewers to make behavioral changes (Househ, et. al, 2014). While all these reasons seem to be amazing uses of social media by patients, there are some reasons why providers and patients should not be interacting on social media sites.
When circling back to the initial question of friending a patient/client on Facebook, my stance is still no. One major issue I would have with this is potential violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) which draws too much legal attention to feel comfortable accepting that risk. Patients/clients may also ask questions that I may not feel comfortable answering online. I would feel more comfortable being part of a patient-provider online forum/blog group to share information rather than sharing through Facebook where a plethora of my personal life via photos, comments, and posts resides. Using a different platform such as website forum or blog and then advertising for the site via Facebook rather than having the discussion on Facebook itself may be more appropriate. This way, patient/client information is kept private along with providers. Forums are a wonderful space for discussion on chronic diseases. Other forms of communication can be used by these patients besides Facebook such as blogs with forums or hospital/clinic-operated online support groups to support patient empowerment while protecting private information. I have never had a personal experience with a patient ‘friend’ request on Facebook, but during my dietetic internship one of my preceptors sent me a request. In response, I waited until the completion of the rotation before I accepted the request to keep a professional boundary while we were working together.
Overall, us dietitians must remember that we are still held to a high standard and are governed by the same Code of Ethics that guide our practice (Helm et. al, 2016). We are liable for anything posted online and we must maintain professional boundaries between ourselves and our patients via social media. Due to the rise in social media usage, we must be aware of the intricacies that are slowly being woven into practice as these issues continue to develop.
Sources:
Abedin, T., Mamun, M. A., Lasker, M. A., Ahmed, S. W., Shommu, N., Rumana, N., & Turin, T. C. Social Media as a Platform for Information About Diabetes Foot Care: A Study of Facebook Groups. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 2017;41(1):97-101.
Helm, J., & Jones, R. M. Practice Paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Social Media and the Dietetics Practitioner: Opportunities, Challenges, and Best Practices. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2016;116(11):1825-1835.
Househ, M., Borycki, E., & Kushniruk, A. Empowering patients through social media: The benefits and challenges. Health Informatics Journal, 2014;20(1):50-58.
Hi Therese!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post from this week! I found it to be very informative and provide good direction on whether or not it is appropriate to accept friend requests from patients or clients. I agree with you that I would definitely NOT accept a Facebook friend request from a patient. I like that you bring up the point that if you do add a patient on Facebook, they may use that as a way to get "free" advice. I think it is important in our profession that we help people, but there is a certain point where it becomes inappropriate. Like you mentioned, there is a time and place for social media use and patient/client relationships - such as maybe a blog ran by a dietitian or doctor that specifically aims to target people with certain health conditions. To accept someone on Facebook or any other social media page is to let them into your life. I personally don't think it is appropriate for a patient or client to see you in pictures drinking or maybe on a vacation by the beach, because that is going to make them picture you perhaps not as a professional, and maybe even trust you a little less.
Hi Taylor!
DeleteI agree with your thoughts on this question! You makes some really important additional points in your post about not wanting patients/clients to see personal pictures from your life. This could potentially ruin their perception of your professionalism which is not what we want as practicing dietitians! There are other forms of online communication I would feel more comfortable with when communicating with patients, but definitely not Facebook. Thanks for you thoughts!
Hi Therese!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts in your blog post! I feel similarly to you on whether I'd accept a friend or follow request by a patient on social media - definitely not! I'm not big on sharing a lot of my personal life online anyway, so having a patient with whom I have a professional relationship be able to see those things would make me feel so uncomfortable. I do agree that one of the benefits to having a professional online presence is the ability to build rapport and connect with patients , something which can be difficult to do in the 10-20 minutes you spend with them in the hospital. I also like that thought that patients also could have the ability to reach out online and ask questions - it might prevent them from getting advice from random, unverified sources on the Internet! But, I also think it's important for patients to actually physically go in to see a dietitian - otherwise how would we get billed for our time spent online, answering questions? I also agree that the risk HIPAA violations also makes me wary of ever getting involved with social media interactions with patients. I think it'd be extremely easy to accidentally reveal protected information, and since nothing online is ever truly gone, it wouldn't take too much to find that violation. I'm glad that many of us have similar thoughts and feelings on this issue, and that we're taking the time now to think about what we would do. Entering into social media relationships with patients is definitely a complex issue (as I'm sure we've all realized at this point!) and the pros and cons should really be carefully considered.
Hi Tracy,
DeleteThank you for your comments! I definitely agree that patients should go physically see the dietitian as well and I think that would help build a better personal relationship as well. Glad we are all on the same page for not wanting to interact with patients/clients on Facebook or any social media site that reveals and personal information. I feel if dietitians begin friending patient/clients, that image could potentially make all dietitians look "bad" or "fake" which is a scary thought. That would be so uncomfortable! As providers, we need to keep a professional relationship with patients so we do not lose credibility.