Should I be 'friends' with my patients on social networking web sites?

摘要

I'm no stranger to social media. In addition to writing content for my practice's Web site and Twitter account, I often post comments on discussion Web sites for physicians. It probably shouldn't have come as a surprise to me when my patients started sending me friend requests on Facebook. Some requests came from patients I have known for a decade or more; others came from patients I have seen only once or twice. On one hand, I'm not concerned about revealing information about my day-to-day activities to patients, and reading their status posts might help me learn whether my patients with diabetes mellitus or heart disease are following my instructions on diet and exercise. On the other hand, I don't know if this would be considered unprofessional or would potentially violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Would it be different if patients wanted to connect with me on more professional networking Web sites, such as Linkedln? Are there any accepted standards for interacting with patients using social media?