The healthcare industry has undoubtedly benefited a lot from patient-to-patient and patient-to-provider social media interactions. The ability of social media websites to effectively and transparently communicate information in real time presents a wide range of opportunities for the healthcare industry. Most of the healthcare providers use at least one of the social media websites to frequently share information about their products, innovations, updates and the like.

According to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, 60% of the 485 physicians surveyed said that using social media helped them improve the quality of patient care.

On the other hand, patients are also using social media to interact with healthcare providers, and to educate themselves. A recent Pew Research Center study found that 1 in 3 American adults use the internet to figure out a medical issue. Patients also feel more comfortable and valued as a customer, when dealing with a practice, which uses digital health communications.

However, while social media is beneficial in spreading awareness among the public in real time, it can also become a cause for serious concern. Recently, many patient data leaks have occurred through the social media, both willingly and unwillingly. Since information on these platforms spreads like wildfire, it can cause considerable damage in a short amount of time.

A report published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine highlights that 79% of medical professionals are concerned about maintaining patient confidentiality on social networks.

Can healthcare and social media team up for the long run? Despite the risks, it seems that it is possible. However, practices need to make sure that they implement the following methods in order to socialize safely.

Identify what constitutes a legal record

Practices need to clearly establish what constitutes a legal record. Sometimes, social media experts or support staff can inadvertently share something which might contain sensitive information, and become a matter of interest for HIPAA.

Know regulatory responsibilities

Practices need to understand what their legal regulatory requirements are; as far as patient records are concerned. Clear guidelines need to be established to ensure that records are properly archived, retrieved and stored.

Create retention and destruction schedules

Research firm Gartner says that the thumb rule for blog posts, tweets and other social media interaction is, “if it exists, it is discoverable”. Practices need to make sure that critical records and patient information are kept secure. Furthermore, they should have the capability to identify all records that have been distributed, both physically and electronically.

Train and educate employees

Make sure regular training sessions for all staff members are conducted about their social media responsibilities. Have an expert discuss the various social media websites individually, and the potential security risks they may pose. Employees also need to be trained on which information about the company should or should not be shared.

Track your path

Recording social media interaction path is of crucial importance. If a practice has been spending time to promote the brand on various social media websites, make sure it is using a good metric tool to measure the effectiveness of the efforts. Generally, these websites have built-in analysis tools, which can help channel the efforts in the areas that are most beneficial to the business.

Social media is not only changing the face of the healthcare industry, but also of Information Technology. Practices, physicians and the healthcare industry are reaping the benefits of their online presence, but a lot of room for improvement still exists.