Social media can be a touchy subject for some individuals depending on their lifestyles, careers, areas of expertise, and so on. While social media can help many professionals, if an individual is not careful enough with what the put on the Internet, it is also something that can hurt. In a recent video on obgynnews.com, Dr. Matthew DeCamp, tells us what physicians specifically should leave off the Internet.
Matthew DeCamp is an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and in the Johns Hopkins division of general internal medicine. He expresses in this video that there are certain things that physicians post on their social media forums that can be detrimental to their careers and the lives of their patients. In particular, some dangerous areas to post about are alcohol consumption, profane language, or statements about patients – even without mentioning names.
Many times an individual in the medical field, or any professional field for that matter, will post something on social media that is derogatory or exploits someone’s personal business, and even when they think they are in the clear because they’ve kept names out of it, they are wrong. That patient may be identified by any other individual reading the post. As a physician, there are tons of documents that need to be signed and confidentiality is huge. There is never a reason for a doctor or nurse or assistant to be speaking about a patient or client on the Internet. This is absolutely an invasion of privacy.
Social Media is not a bad thing by any means, however the users must be extremely cautious of what is on their profiles, as well as what is in the fine print. Some social media profiles allow the public to see almost everything you put out there, so awareness is key. Educate yourself on every single profile you are on or wish to be on. Privacy settings are another very important part that individuals must read through entirely. Social media can be the perfect way to market and advertise a business or skill set as well. Learn how to make it a positive and stay away from anything questionable!
