10 rules for a healthcare social media policy

A healthcare social media policy sets out what’s expected of staff and those who manage them. Social media can humanise a healthcare organisation giving it an interactive conversation with both patients and healthcare professionals.

As social media is growing in importance for healthcare providers, employees also becoming more involved in listening and engaging with potential patients and suppliers. It’s critical to set clear guidelines about what staff can and can’t say.

healthcare social media policy

Here are 10 rules for a healthcare social media policy.

1. Be responsible – make it clear everyone is responsible for what they write about themselves and the hospital or healthcare provider.

2. Overall responsibility – make it clear who is responsible for coordinating the dissemination, implementation and review of the policy and ensure staff adhere to it.

3. Personal communications – there will be many staff that who contribute to online spaces such as blogs, social networking sites, wikis, forums and photo and video sharing sites; however, if staff are talking about their employer it is important to understand what the organisation recommends and expects.

4. Publicly private – as a healthcare provider be clear about what topics are acceptable and what are off limits, make this clear to all staff and ensure the moderator takes a moment privately before they respond publicly.

5. Q&A, be on the same page – communicate with your colleagues to ensure you co-ordinate consistent messages, a Q&A should be developed in advance of posting content online to help plan answers to any potentially difficult questions posted by users who comment.

6. Personal identification – if an employee chooses to identify themselves on a personal website or blog, many readers may assume they are speaking on behalf of that organisation.

7. Authorisation – it is recommended that social networking websites are blocked so staff will need to request access authorisation.

8. Respect copyright laws – it’s important to show proper respect for the laws governing copyright and fair use of copyright material owned by others, so endeavour to include your own copyright and trademarks.

9. Patient confidentiality – be clear that staff cannot release confidential information about patients and the hospital or provider without authority.

10.Internal support – always liaise with the central support team about corporate online activities to help develop a social media strategy for your hospital or business unit.

If you don’t establish some healthcare social media ground rules early on, you could face legal action if unlawful comments are made in your organisation’s name. So does your healthcare organisation have a social media policy? How is it working? Share your comments in the section below or on Twitter.

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