Physicians Need to Routinely Give Social Media a Check-up

Although physicians do all they can to help their patients, sometimes healthy outcomes aren’t always a possibility.

Unfortunately, a growing number of disgruntled hospital patients are turning to social media to spread the bad news about their medical experiences.

In order to avoid bad reputations, here are a few ways doctors can navigate social media:

Don’t Respond Publicly to Negative Comments

As social media continues to grow in popularity, professionals of all kinds are expected to have an online presence, including physicians. Although many physicians and doctors keep their social activity to a minimum, some use their social outreach on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, this can lead to patients who think they can post comments about their healthcare experiences on physicians’ social accounts. When negative comments do arise, physicians are advised not to respond.

Responding to negative comments on social media only heightens the situation.

The best way a physician can handle negativity on social media is by contacting the patient privately. Resolving the problem through private message, email, or with a phone call is much better than doing so publicly on social media.

Monitor Review Sites

Review websites have become a large part of the social landscape, which can be a good thing and a bad thing for physicians.

The article “Physicians: Protect Your Online Reputation” describes how sites like Vitals and Healthgrades are making it possible for patients to rate their doctors without any consequence.

By monitoring these review sites, physicians can ensure their practice and their bedside manners aren’t being negatively reflected online.

If physicians do find multiple negative reviews on these sites, then it might be a sign that changes need to take place with their practice.

Never Share Specifics

Doctor-patient confidentiality is of the utmost importance in the medical world. However, social media has changed the way society shares personal information.

With that said, physicians should never make specific social comments about interactions with patients.

Sharing general posts about the workday or a particularly difficult surgery is fine, but specific information like the patient’s name or surgery type should be avoided.

Take Advantage of Privacy Features

Whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or any of the other social media websites in between, it’s important for physicians to take advantage of privacy features.

Setting profiles to private and only friending acquaintances and colleagues will help physicians keep their online reputations clean.

Physicians who run their own clinics and practices can also set their social business profiles to private as well. This allows the practice to gain a social presence without inviting unwanted comments.

Stay off Certain Sites

The best way physicians can protect their online reputations if they have any concern is by staying off social media altogether. Some social sites like LinkedIn are perfectly fine for professional use, but others aren’t.

For example, Facebook is great for personal use, but physicians shouldn’t use this site in a professional capacity.

Facebook, Twitter, and other similar social sites are more for socializing with friends and family rather than building a professional reputation.

When it comes to healthy reputations, physicians should keep the advice above in mind.

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