EPA-0957 - Professionalism in Social Networking: the do's and Don'ts for Psychiatrists

Abstract

The world of Web 2.0 involved the shift of media from passive viewing to active bi-directional interface. The new generation of technology makes access to others much easier through social networking, blogging, and the abundance of information available via search engines.

A simple Google search of a physician's name will grant a patient access to their health grades, publications, office website, Facebook/Twitter/Linkedin accounts and on some occasions cell phone, email, and home address. With more and more young physicians using the web for both personal and professional reasons, caution should be taken in the amount of information available and be wary of possible boundary and privacy violations. Several physicians have made national headlines over information posted on social networking sites, such as the OB/GYN who reprimanded her patient over Facebook for being late to appointments. Young physicians should be aware of potential pitfalls of patients have easy accessibility to physicians such as a suicide threat sent via Facebook message, text, or email.

The purpose of this workshop will be to provide education to psychiatrists about the specific guidelines as they relate to interfacing with Web 2.0 including using social networking sites, blogs, email and text in both personal or professional interactions. Potential boundary and HIPAA violations will be presented using real life examples. Discussion will be fostered among attendees on ways to handle situations such as a friend request from a patient, an inappropriate post from a colleague, a suicide threat over email, and how to monitor your Internet presence.