Where Do We Go From Here?

There are numerous social media tools that I have not been able to discuss over these past few weeks including LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, Podcasts and many more. Medical professionals should consider utilizing these tools and networking sites to connect and engage with others among the health care industry. Over the course of this blog, I have been preaching the message of safe and effective uses of social media tools. Medical professionals must follow guidelines in order to protect themselves and follow patient privacy laws.

The University of Missouri Health System, also referred to as MU, currently has health care social media guidelines posted on their main website which protects the institution and employees.  These guidelines apply to official social media postings for MU health care, video recordings, audio recordings, photography, and personal social media communications. Placing this document on the main Web site informs both the internal audiences of MU such as employees, staff, and stakeholders, but also its external audiences such as patients and other medical professionals about its social media policies.

A social media policy not only protects individuals and institutions, but also provides the framework needed to achieve goals and objectives. For example, the Mayo Clinic breaks down each social media tool. It provides in-depth instructions and details, explaining how the content and social media site will be managed and maintained. For various blogs, the Mayo Clinic has created a Comment Policy. For social networking sites such as YouTube and Facebook, the clinic provides Participation Guidelines. Detailed descriptions such as these can prove valuable in achieving objectives. Social media is rapidly growing, so the more detail and guidance provided, the better.

Where do we go from here? The health care industry should jump into the social media world, but jump in with caution and with a plan in place. Social media provides remarkable tools to aid medical professionals in sharing information, education, connecting with others, engaging with patients, giving medical advice, and more. The list of opportunities social media outlets present is extensive and will only continue to grow. The health care industry must embrace social media and utilize it for all that is it worth.