SOCIAL MEDIA, DOES THAT HAVE TO BE? I’M A PLASTIC SURGEON.
Maybe you feel the same way I do. Sometimes I think to myself what one has to do in the future to stand out from other colleagues. And why do I have to at all, is perhaps a nice colleague whom I know well. We work in a free market economy in which we are supposed to compete with each other. To avoid this is economically unwise. A dilemma in which you quickly become driven, even though you have enough to do. The importance of presence in social networks is well understood. A lot can be found on the net, for example at Medscape
“today’s patient doesn’t know what it is to be double board-certified. They look at what your reviews are on Yelp! and how many likes you have on Facebook,” says Nina Grant, vice president of business development for Irvine, California-based Practice Builders. (medscape.com).
In the DGPRÄC the topic has now also arrived, so that at the beginning of May the 1st Social Media Congress Aesthetic Medicine Goes Social Media will take place in Berlin, where I will also participate. There are a few points that should be the subject of conversation.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER?
In general, the involvement of professionals is recommended. You can’t be wrong with this tip. The Hamburg Medical Association continues to demand in its handbook:
“Despite all the personal ties between doctor and patient, the relationship between the two must be a professional one, sharply separated from a purely personal one.
How can this be realized when very personal things are posted in a generally accessible way? Does the patient get too much insight into the doctor’s nonprofessional life? It also mentions:
“Any promotional, misleading or comparative advertising, on the other hand, shall be prohibited as contrary to professional ethics.”
I guess the boundaries here are hard to draw. Moreover, a doctor should protect patients from too much openness. One should be careful when expressing one’s own opinion about products. I am curious what will be discussed in Berlin. I think it’ll be exciting.
10 RULES FOR PHYSICIANS IN SOCIAL MEDIA
- Observe doctor-patient confidentiality
- Do not defame colleagues – pay attention to netiquette
- Separate professional and private profiles
- Do not exceed the limits of the physician-patient relationship
- Observe ban on remote treatment
- No unprofessional advertising via social media
- Observe data protection and data security
- Prevent self-revelation of patients
- Restraint in product-related statements
- Check liability insurance
(from Handreichung Ärzte in sozialen Medien, Hamburg Medical Association)