Psychiatrists’ Use of Electronic Communication and Social Media and a Proposed Framework for Future Guidelines

Abstract

Discipline-specific guidelines for psychiatrists' interactions with social media and electronic communications are needed. Informed by the survey described here, a review of the literature, and consensus opinion, a framework for developing such a set of guidelines is proposed. The model integrates four key areas: treatment frame, patient privacy, medico-legal concerns, and professionalism. This conceptual model, applicable to many psychiatric settings, including clinical practice, residency training, and continuing medical education, will be helpful in developing discipline-wide guidelines for psychiatry and can be applied to a decision-making process by individual psychiatrists in day-to-day practice.

Professionalism and Technology: Competencies Across the Tele-Behavioral Health and E-Behavioral Health Spectrum

“…As the digital revolution has unfolded, experts and educators have attempted to provide an educational framework for trainees and practitioners. The Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, for example, has developed a "heuristic framework for the evaluation of clinical situations involving e-communications" [24].…”

Psychiatrists’ Perceptions of Facebook and Other Social Media

“…Professionals in clinical settings differ in their views of the incorporation of technology into their practice [15] and vary in terms of their online presence [16]. If social media websites are associated with negative outcomes, it would be extremely useful to mental health practitioners to develop a keener understanding of these millions-strong vulnerable populations.…”

Ethical Considerations Regarding Internet Searches for Patient Information

“…In another survey of 4033 physicians, 87 percent used social media for personal use, and 67 percent used them for professional activities (Modahl, Tompsett, and Moorhead 2011). In early 2010, 16 percent of practicing physicians acknowledged having visited a patient's online profile or that of a patient's family member (Bosslet et al 2011), and "Googling" patients (also called "patient-targeted Googling") appears to be growing, more commonly among mental health professionals (Pirelli, Otto, and Estoup 2016;Tumolo 2016;Koh et al 2013;Kolmes and Taube 2014), even among those in training who feel that such searches are "always or usually unacceptable" (DiLillo and Gale 2011, p.163). Patients and their families (and sometimes other physicians) have reported inappropriate physician communication with patients online, resulting in disciplinary proceedings from Medical Boards (Greysen et al 2012).…”