“USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN HEALTHCARE”

DR ELI ATIKPUI | 23 AUGUST 2017

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FORMAT OF PRESENTATION

1. Introduction

2. Use of Social Media The Good

Not so Good

3. Regulatory Concerns Institutional Policies

Legislation

4. Recommendations

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INTRODUCTION

• Generally the object of every regulatoryauthority is to:

• secure in the public interest the higheststandards in the training and practice ofmedicine or dentistry.

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MANDATE

TrainingStandards

Regulation Registration

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• Technology, and recently Social Media(SM), has revolutionised health service delivery.

ICU – Raise questions about traditional notions of deathand dying.

Organ Transplantation – Issues around the dead donorrule

Gene Therapy/Stem Cell Research - Raise ethical andlegal issues

• All of these technologies bring new prospects ofsecuring a cure, successful treatment and a happier lifebut the hope of new prospects comes with newchallenges. Usually, ethical, legal and regulatory.

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• Social networks includes theuse of technology such asYouTube, blogs, LinkedIn,storify, and flicker, podcast, e-newletters, Instegram, RSSfeed, Pinterest, and whatspp.

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USE OF SOCIAL MEDIAIN MEDICINE

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The Good

• Patients: some patients are well versed in the useof SM and legitimately, expect their healthcareprofessionals to be equally adept. Most of themuse SM to:

gain knowledge and understanding of theircondition

share experiences on their conditions throughpatient groups and networks.

Help them make decisions such as which doctorto consult, hospital to go to or causes oftreatment they prefer etc.

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• Practitioners: Most practitioners use SM to:

create professional networks where they connect with peers andshare medical knowledge within the professional community.

share experiences and best practices to improve upon quality of care.

communicate and receive prompt feedback or guidance on thehandling of complex medical conditions.

provide education on various aspects of health to their followers.

receive valuable advice on hard cases that raise serious medico-legalissues.

The Good Cont.

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• SM can thus be said to constitute an important resourceor forum where health professionals, patients andmembers of the public may meet and exchange ideas onissues of health concern with the goal to achievinghealth promotion, disease prevention, lifestylemodification and improved health outcomes.

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Not So Good

• Patients: Improper use of SM may lead to: Misunderstanding of complex technical information due

to contextual limitations. Abandonment of professional advice on the basis of

unverified or unverifiable information. Improper relationships with health professionals

(exchange of sexually explicit pictures etc.) Create fear and panic or undermine professional or

institutional reputation based on unfoundedallegations/speculations.

Etc.

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Not So Good Cont.

• Practitioners: Improper use of SM may lead to: Improper professional-patient/ client relationships (sexual

harassment etc.) Unethical advertisements Breaches in medical privacy, confidentiality and informed

consent. damage of the reputations of other professional colleagues

or institutions. Misinformation of patients or public on matters outside

their scope of practice or competence. Etc.

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“Yeah your time is over. Send them to hell, where

some of them belong. The rest goes into the hole

for compost fertilizer, hehehe” (Global Post, 2013)

“Guess

Is she asleep

or dead? ….

Hint… I am

the soul thief”

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Physician Accused of Posting Patient Photos

on Social MediaA woman who was treated for alcohol poisoning in an emergency room is suing

her physician and the hospital after photographs

taken of her while admitted were posted to social media

sites. Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial

Hospital, 2013

Doctors pose for pictures

as patient lays cut openThree doctors at the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences

stirred a controversy by taking pictures in the midst of an “emergency” surgery on Friday night and posting these on social media. Tribune

News Service Jalandhar, June 19, 2016

Doctor reprimanded after

patient privacy breached on

FacebookBoston Globe, 2013

A first-year resident filmed another doctor inserting a chest tube into a patient.

The patient’s face was clearly visible. The resident

later posted the film on YouTube.

An Emergency Medicine Physician

was reprimanded by the Rhode Island State Board for “unprofessional

conduct” and was fined after making

comments on Facebook about a

patient.The National Media

Commission has condemned the publication of pictures of

the remains of the late Mr. Paul Victor Obeng, lying at the

morgue.

Ghana: DAILY GRAPHIC, 19 MAY 2014

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REGULATORY CONCERNS

• The uptake of technology, especially,SM in healthcare practice, therefore, raises issues of ethical,legal and regulatory concern.

Legal: Obsolete laws – some of the laws mandating our

regulatory councils were passed when there was no socialmedia. As such, they do not sufficiently provide specificregulatory guidance on the use of SM in healthcarepractice eg. Unethical / unlawful advertising, improperprofessional – patient / client relationships.

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REGULATORY CONCERNS Cont.

Institutional Polices / Ethical Guidelines:

• Most polices are not intune with the pace oftechnological development. As a result, thereis no specific guidance on the proper or ethicaluse of SM eg. advertising on facebook,YouTube, blogs, whatsApp etc.

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REGULATORY CONCERNS Cont.

Regulatory:

•The emergence of SM brought to the forethe gaps in our regulatory approaches andstrategies in the 21st century(medical privacy,confidentiality, appropriate consentpractices, etc.)

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• As a consequence, uncontrol and wrongfuluse of SM by practitioners calls the reputation of ourprofessions into disrepute but there is a problem ofenforcement.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Legislative reforms (where appropriate) toprovide clear guidance to practitioners on theproper use of SM in the health care context.

AMCOA should spearhead the development orharmonization of policies and rules ofprofessional conduct in relation to the ethicaluse of SM for the guidance of, or adoption by,member Councils.

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CONCLUSION

• The issues of regulatory concern raised by the useof SM in the professional setting are not onlycomplex, they also call for a much more nuancedreflection on the appropriate regulatory responseon the part of Regulatory Councils.

• Arguably, AMCOA is the best placed body to drivethis dialogue.

THANK YOU