Should nurse practitioners communicate with their patients via social networking sites? This is a questions I am frequently asked. It’s been a topic of conversation on email list, social networking sites and at NP conferences. While I have written about it before (link to Advance article), I think it’s time to revisit this question.
My answer is simply no.
Here’s the deal. Communicating with your patients on a social networking site opens you up to potential for HIPAA violations. Additionally there is the possibility that patients may ask emergent questions which you may not see, or answer in a timely manner. And any communication online is subject to discovery should there be any legal incidents.
So how do I recommend that you communicate with your patients online? I think one of the simplest ways is for a nurse practitioner or the practice to have a Facebook page that is simple for businesses. The page is used to make practice wide announcements, do some patient education and remind patients to come in for things like flu vaccines or sports physicals.
It’s highly advisable to have a disclaimer on the site letting patients know that if they have questions they must contact the office directly as the FB page is not monitored regularly. You may even want to consider disabling comments on your page .
Make it an office policy that you and your staff will follow. Communicate this to patients. Let them know they can “Like” your page in order to get up to the date information and education from your practice, but it’s in their best interest to keep communication to the traditional lines…at least for now.
I love social media as a marketing tool, but I don’t feel it’s a smart communication tool. As far as I know, there has not yet been case law regarding communication via social networks. But as we all know it’s only a matter of time.