OVERVIEW

Legal Advisor: How to Engage Online and Protect Yourself from Liability is organized by Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS)

Release Date: Oct 16, 2017
Expiration Date: Oct 16, 2020

Accreditation:
The Massachusetts Medical Society designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Course Overview :
Participation in social media by the general public has increased sharply over the past nine years. In the U.S., the proportion of adults using social media has increased from 8% to 72% since 2005. The use of social media is prevalent across all ages and professions and is pervasive around the world.

Many social media tools are available for health care professionals (HCPs), including social networking platforms, blogs, microblogs, wikis, media-sharing sites, and virtual reality and gaming environments. These tools can be used to improve or enhance professional networking and education, organizational promotion, patient care, patient education, and public health programs. However, they also present potential risks to patients and HCPs regarding the distribution of poor-quality information, damage to professional image, breaches of patient privacy, violation of personal-professional boundaries, and licensing or legal issues. Many health care institutions and professional organizations have issued guidelines to prevent these risks. Guidelines issued by health care organizations and professional societies provide sound and useful principles that HCPs should follow to avoid pitfalls.

Learning Objectives :
• Compare the appropriate ways for health care professionals to engage online with the public.
• Describe the individual benefits of engaging online through social media, medical blogs, and physician websites.
• Explain the risks that come with engaging online with the public.
• Review the ways to maintain safeguards while engaging online with the public.