These slides were used for a MDDUS webinar that aimed to explore the legislative and regulatory risks involved in doctors personal and professional use of social media, and in relation to responding to and engaging with patients via this media. The objectives were to raise awareness of the common medicolegal risks associated with doctors personal use of social media. To raise awareness of the common medicolegal risks associated with doctors professional use of social media.

To explore ways in which doctors can most appropriately respond to patient feedback and contacts via online platforms. Participants are equipped to apply the knowledge gained in the webinar to risk assess and safely manage their online activities. Provides guidance to enable improvement of personal practice in this area:

1. Doctors and Social Media
Liz Price
Senior Risk Adviser

2. Risk Area 1
Private online presence

6. Regulatory considerations
 Regulatory guidance
 Conduct
 Professionalism
 Boundaries
 Confidentiality
 Raising concerns

7. Legal considerations
 Employment policies / DPA
 Confidentiality of patients/ data protection of others
 Reputation
 Bullying and harassment
 Loss of productivity
 Recruitment/disciplinary access
#nopostingafterwine
#norantsallowed

8. Risk Area 2
Professional online presence

9. Rating / networking sites
 Concerns – sites rating employers
 Professional networking sites
 Anonymisation or…
 Explicit patient consent
(how?, why?, where?)
 Stand by your name
 Courtesy / professionalism

11. Responding to online feedback

13. Positive example:
transcript/telephone message misalignment

14. Response strategy
 ‘Listen’ carefully
 Response time matters
 Be human
 Be transparent
 Avoid negative language
 Respond publicly, however…
 Redirect to a private conversation
 Know when to engage - and when not to…
 Keep a record with post/response/actions taken
Adapted from www.socialmediatoday.com
Take advice first
Organisational policy

15. Top 5 tips to mitigate risk
1. Take control of your privacy
2. Be conscious of your online image
3. Maintain professional standards
4. Guard personal and professional boundaries
5. Consider the destiny of your data
6. Treat all patient posts as ‘feedback’… and with caution

16. Think once before you
act, twice before you
speak, and three times
before you post on
Facebook.
- Paul Carrick Brunson

17. Our website has a wide
range of training and CPD
modules.
www.mddus.com
Login or drop an email to
risk@mddus.com to request
non-member access.
If in doubt, seek advice from MDDUS on any of these topics.
CPD Accredited Online Courses
Team Training Resources
Risk Alerts
Checklists
Podcasts
Articles
Videos