Social media can be a versatile and rewarding platform for physicians and advanced practice providers, but it’s imperative you avoid the pitfalls! 

Social media can be a versatile and rewarding platform for physicians and
 advanced practice providers. You can establish your brand, broaden your
 network, educate the public, share research, reach patients, and stay current.
 Through social media, you can learn from your colleagues, find your dream job,
 and connect with your local community. Possibilities abound.



 Providers must take care to avoid the pitfalls, though. It&rsquo;s wise to
 watch out for conflicts of interest, inappropriate posts, negative reviews,
 and patient privacy missteps. To help physicians and APPs use social media
 strategically, we&rsquo;ve compiled these do&rsquo;s and don&rsquo;ts, along
 with resources for best practices in using social media.


<h2>Do&rsquo;s</h2>


 Do search for yourself online to review your existing digital footprint. Check out different search engine results, provider review sites, visible
 personal information, and business listings. If you find issues, contact sites
 directly to update information and correct any errors.



 Do strive for positive online patient ratings. In a
 University of Michigan national survey, 71% of patients reported that they
 would select a doctor with many positive ratings even if they had a few
 negative reviews, and 69% said that they would avoid selecting a doctor with
 mostly negative ratings even if that individual had a few very positive
 ratings (<a
 href="https://www.healthyagingpoll.org/report/searching-good-doctor-online"
 target="_blank"
 >Healthy Aging Poll</a
 >).



 Do consider various social media platforms. For example,
 there are more than 2 million nurses and physicians with active LinkedIn
 profiles (up from 1 million a year ago) (<a
 href="https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-strategy/over-2-million-north-american-doctors-and-nurses-on-linkedin"
 target="_blank"
 >LinkedIn</a
 >). Providers can create Facebook business pages for their practices,
 establish a Twitter account for sharing information, or use medical networking
 sites like Sermo, Doximity, Daily Rounds, QuantiaMD, or Figure1.



 Do follow all HIPAA, state, federal, professional, and practice guidelines
 for patient privacy.



 Common social media HIPAA violations include posting images or videos of
 patients without consent, posting gossip, and sharing identifying information.
 HIPAA social media violations and guidelines can be found at
 <a href="https://www.hipaajournal.com/hipaa-social-media/" target="_blank"
 >HIPAA Journal</a
 >.



 Do create and share helpful information for patients, other providers, and
 the public. Offer valuable content, contribute to the body of knowledge, and help
 establish yourself as a thought leader in your field. This content can be in
 the form of blog posts, research articles, videos, podcasts, medical news,
 white papers, case studies, and more.


<h2>Don&rsquo;ts</h2>


 Don&rsquo;t engage in behavior that could be considered
 unprofessional.
 This can include &ldquo;violations of patient privacy; the use of profanity or
 discriminatory language; images of sexual suggestiveness or intoxication;
 negative comments about patients, an employer, or a school&hellip;taking
 digital photographs during surgery, posing with weapons or alcohol, and
 posting &lsquo;tweets&rsquo; that are harmful to an individual or the
 profession&hellip;.airing of frustrations, or &lsquo;venting,&rsquo; regarding
 patients&rdquo; according to a recent article published in
 <a
 href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103576/"
 target="_blank"
 >Pharmacy &amp; Therapeutics Journal</a
 >.



 Don&rsquo;t ignore negative patient reviews. View a negative
 patient review as an opportunity for improvement. Healthgrades offers tips on
 how to constructively respond to patient reviews while remaining
 HIPAA-compliant along with an example of an appropriate response. For
 starters: be gracious, address concerns directly, share solutions, and
 continue the conversation offline (<a
 href="https://partners.healthgrades.com/blog/how-to-respond-to-negative-patient-reviews"
 target="_blank"
 >Healthgrades</a
 >).



 Don&rsquo;t offer medical advice.
 <a
 href="https://www.aafp.org/journals/fpm/blogs/inpractice/entry/social_media_best_practices.html"
 target="_blank"
 >AAFP</a
 >
 advises against giving medical advice over social media and instead recommends
 offering general educational tips. Consider adding a snippet to your profile
 if you find you need to explain to your followers that you can&rsquo;t offer
 medical advice online.



 Don&rsquo;t get into conflicts of interest. According to an
 article published in
 <a
 href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3614128/"
 target="_blank"
 >Journal of General Internal Medicine</a
 >, providers may give advice without revealing drug industry ties or other
 information that may bias their opinions, leaving patients and the public in
 the dark. Carefully consider the impact of all information you share online.



 Don&rsquo;t forget to use your resources. Refer to
 AMA&rsquo;s
 <a
 href="https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/ethics/professionalism-use-social-media"
 target="_blank"
 >Professionalism in the Use of Social Media</a
 >, FSMB&rsquo;s
 <a
 href="https://www.fsmb.org/siteassets/advocacy/policies/social-media-and-electronic-communications.pdf"
 target="_blank"
 >Social Media and Electronic Communications</a
 >, and FSMA&rsquo;s
 <a
 href="https://www.amsa.org/2016/09/15/social-media-guidelines-medical-students-physicians/"
 target="_blank"
 >Social Media Guidelines for Medical Students and Physicians</a
 >
 for an in-depth look at best practices in social media for providers.
 Don&rsquo;t forget to review your organization&rsquo;s social media policies
 as well.



 We hope you find these tips to be a useful resource as you work to
 thoughtfully craft your online presence through social media.



 Find out how our team of experts can help you
 <a href="https://www.crosscountrylocums.com/job-search"
 >embark on your next career adventure today</a
 >.

Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media for Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers