**This is an old revision of the document!**

Use of Social Media

Social Media- electronic communication, websites or applications through which users connect, interact, or share information or other content with other individuals, collectively part of an online community. This includes Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Blogs, Social Networking Sites.

Administrative Procedures
* Social media account monitoring for doctors and nurses shall be done by health facilities to monitor privacy breaches.

Responsible Social Media Use

  • Health care professionals should always be mindful of his or her duties to the patient and community, his profession and his colleagues thus shall take into account that content once posted can be disseminated to others.
  • Health care professionals should always be conscious of his or her online image and how it impacts his or her profession, or the institution where he or she is professionally employed, affiliated or otherwise connected.
  • Health care professionals must ensure that in his or her social media activity, there is no law violated, including copyright, libel and cybercrime laws. At all times, the individual shall respect the privacy of others.
  • Information posted online shall be beneficial to the Filipino people. Health care professionals shall refrain from any activity which spreads or tends to spread misinformation.
  • Social media shall not be used to dispense specific medical diagnosis, advice, treatment or projection but shall consist of general opinions only. Use of social media should include statements that a person should not rely on the advice given online, and that medical concerns are best addressed in the appropriate setting.
  • Information that will compromise patient confidentiality and privacy shall not be posted online.This may include comments which patients are described with enough sufficient detail to be identified, referring to patients in a degrading or demeaning manner.
  • The individual shall be careful in posting or publishing his or her opinion and shall ensure that such opinion will not propagate misinformation or constitute a misrepresentation. The individual shall not make any misrepresentations in his or her social media activity relating to content, his or her employment or credentials, and any other information that may be misconstrued or taken out of context.

Professionalism
* Online platforms shall not be used to rant, bash, or post informal, personal or derogatory comments about patients or other health care professionals.
* Disclosing identifiable information about a patient including taking of selfies, groufies or videos during encounters with patients that include patients' body parts, surgical specimens or that show patients in the background without their consent or any information that will compromise patient's dignity and privacy shall not be posted online.

  • Health care professionals shall refrain from posting, sharing , or using photos or videos taken within the facility, which would give the impression of unprofessionalism, show parts of the health facility where there is an expectation of privacy, or those which includes colleagues, employees, other health facility staff, or patients without their consent.
  • Health care professionals shall maintain a professional boundary between patients. Online contact with patients or former patients blurs the distinction between a professional and personal relationship thus must refrain from adding patients in their personal social networking sites.
  • Health care professionals shall conduct himself or herself in social media or online the same way that he would in public, mindful of acting in a manner befitting his profession, or that would inspire trust in the service he or she provides, especially if the individual has not separated his or her professional and personal accounts in social media.

References:

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See Also