At its July 27, 2024, meeting, the KCA Board of Directors heard a report from the KCA Social Media and Technology Task Force on its recommendations for social media. After some discussion, the KCA Board adopted the following recommendations:
KCA Social Media Recommendations
Social media provides a platform for chiropractors to educate the public, define their online reputations, and make their perspectives and voices heard. The Kansas Chiropractic Association recognizes that all people in the United States have a constitutional right to freedom of speech but also recognizes that licensed providers have an obligation to the public to be truthful in advertising and to represent their profession positively to avoid damaging public perception.
These guidelines are intended to help doctors of chiropractic make thoughtful and engaging posts without sacrificing patient privacy or tarnishing the reputation of themselves or the profession as a whole. Additionally, the doctor of chiropractic should consider that posts made on personal social media accounts–not just business accounts–may be detrimental to these goals. These guidelines are not exhaustive.
- Comply with HIPAA guidelines. You should have a ‘Social Media Policy’ in your office’s policies and procedures.
- The patient’s health and treatment should never come second to generating social media content.
- Patient specific medical advice should never be given via social media.
- Ensure the accuracy of your post’s content. You are ultimately responsible for everything posted to your social media accounts.
- Edited images and videos may give a distorted impression to potential patients. e.g. boosting the audio of a joint cavitation.
- Respect the doctor-patient relationship when interacting with patients online.
- Consider everything you post as public and permanent. Unprofessional actions and comments could negatively impact your business, relationships, and could even be used as evidence in legal matters, including sanctions from the board of healing arts.
- Take your time posting or responding, especially to negative feedback. Online fights are rarely productive and usually reflect poorly on all sides involved.
- If you come across unprofessional content from a colleague, you have a responsibility to bring it to the attention of that individual or the appropriate authorities depending on the content.
- If you’re uncertain about a post, take a break and revisit it later. Review it from the perspective of someone without a healthcare background. If you’re still unsure, it’s best to hold off on posting.
Approved by the KCA Board of Directors on June 27, 2024.
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