The Ohio State Medical Association has just published a guidebook for physicians who are out there tweeting, blogging, and FaceBooking.
Organization counsel Nancy Gillette says the 13-page book is intended to help doctors head off potential liability.
GILLETTE:
"What we've provided are some best practices in the tool kit; and some sample policies, and just a general discussion of the kinds of ways you can either get in trouble or avoid trouble."
Gillette warns that a simple tweet to a friend could later be construed as having offered advice to a patient - or a potential patient.
Or a doctor might endorse the company they work for on a website or a private message, but not realize that act could violate certain Federal Trade Commission's Guidelines.
She also says doctors need to instruct their staffs to use discretion when contacting clients electronically, engaging with online discussion-groups or posting information on "open sources" like social media.
GILLETTE: "Think about what the culture of your practice is, and then think also about professional guidelines and how you want to present yourself to the public, and then craft a policy for yourself or for employees that fits with goals."}
Gillette says electronic exchanges bring the same risks associated with physician patient relationships, including malpractice, and violations of privacy
The new medical association booklet also might come in handy for the state department of health which started a Twitter account last fall to spread information about the H1N1 flue vius…and social networking sites operated by the medical schools in Ohio which regularly post answers to questions about chronic diseases, patient care and prevention.
