Social Media and the Physician

Social media can serve as an effective tool for marketing, communication, education, and information sharing. However, unlike ordinary businesses, health care practices must comply with unique privacy and ethical rules when using these tools.

The development of technology almost always outpaces regulation, and the use of social media by physicians is no exception. At this time, the State of Illinois has published general definitions of unprofessional conduct, but it has not adopted specific standards for the use of social media by physicians. Therefore, the same conventional ethical principles for physician-patient interactions apply, whether electronic or in person. These principles derive from a combination of law, rules, and standards of professionalism that would be expected from a reasonably careful practitioner. The Medical Practice Act contains only a simple prohibition against "dishonorable, unethical or unprofessional conduct of a character likely to deceive, defraud or harm the public.” The rules generally define "dishonorable, unethical or unprofessional conduct” are reprinted at the end of this article. Because these guidelines are generic, physicians must use their good judgment as to how they apply in the social media context.