**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/ Responsibilities

  • In so far as practicable, social media activity of all physicians, employees and other health facility staff including students or residents in training, practicing their profession, working or fulfilling academic and clinical requirements within the health facility, whether temporary or permanent shall be monitored by health facilities to check for privacy breach.
  • An individual who witnesses unprofessional behavior or misinformation in social media or sees social media activity that violates patient privacy or privacy of other individuals should report the same to supervisory or regulatory authorities within the facility.

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.
  • The health care professional should practice due diligence in keeping their social media accounts safe such as through regular password change and logging out after social media use.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Health Education and Promotion

  • The individual using social media for health education or promotion must be well informed of the matter subject of the social media post, comment or other activity. The individual 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.
  • An article written by an individual posted in social media must be evidence-based and disclose connections with pharmaceutical or health product companies or other sources of possible conflict of interest.
  • The health care professional shall be careful in posting or publishing his or her opinion and shall ensure that such opinion will not propagate misinformation or constitute misrepresentation.

Professionalism

  • A heath care professional shall strive to develop, support and maintain a privacy culture in the health facility. He or she shall abide by the social media use policy of the institution.
  • Health care professionals are discouraged from using a single account for both professional and private use.
  • 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.
  • Health care professionals shall refrain from using the name, logo or other symbol of an institution without prior authority in his or her social media activity. An individual shall not identify himself or herself as a representative or an institution in social media without being authorized to do so.
  • A health care professional shall not use copyrighted materials other than for fair use where there is proper citation of source and author.
  • 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, unless there is justification to do so.
  • A health care professional is prohibited from:

(1) Social media activities that defame, harass, stalk or bully another person or institution.
(2) The use or access of personal social media accounts of others without authority.
(3) Posting, sharing or otherwise using any information intended to be private or obtained through access to electronic data messages or documents.
(4) Posting, sharing or otherwise using recorded conversations between doctor, individuals or patients, when such recording, whether audio or video was obtained without consent of all parties to the conversation.

  • A health care professional may “like” a defamatory post but he or she must use caution when sharing, retweeting, or contributing anything that might be construed as a new defamatory statement.
  • A post, comment or other social media activity is considered defamatory if:

(1) The activity imputes a discreditable act or condition of another;
(2) The activity is viewed or seen by any other person;
(3) The person or institution defamed is identified or readily identifiable;
(4) There is malice or intent to damage the reputation of another.

  • Disclosing identifiable information/ personal health information about a patient including taking 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, shared or used in social media. Consent shall be obtained after explaining to the patient the purpose of the intended collection, use, access and disclosure. Consent for use of personal health information shall be written or evidence by electronic means.
  • An individual shall not post, share or otherwise use any information relating to the identity, status and personal details of persons with HIV, those who have undergone drug rehabilitation, and victims of domestic violence, rape and child abuse.


References:

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See Also