The health care community is challenged with safeguarding private information while desparately needing to share and research public health related information quickly. Some health care professionals, including home health agencies, would like to have an online presence, but are somewhat reluctant because of the uncertainty of the proper 'rules of engagement' in the social media.
The AMA has a great Policy for Professionalism in the Use of Social Media that can be used as a template and modified to fit the home health care industry.
The three critical points are:
- Protect patient information
- Maintain your credibility (careful not to lose trust)
- Maintain professionalism (separate personal content)
To get started, here are some popular social media sites:
LinkedIn - Business and Professional
Facebook - General/Personal: Photos, Videos, Blogs, Apps.
Twitter - General. Micro-blogging, RSS, updates
Having a blog (short for weblog, a web site that contains an online journal with reflections and comments) won't hurt either and it's a great medium to showcase your expertise. Here are two popular sites:
Share your ideas on how you plan to use social media and let's help each other in the health care community get on board!
