Social media has enabled dentists to reach more patients and communicate with them more frequently than ever before. Yet practitioners still should uphold professional standards in these online interchanges, according to the General Dental Council (GDC) of the United Kingdom, which recently updated its social media guidelines.
The guidelines apply to blogs, forums, communities, and social sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. They also cover professional networking sites like LinkedIn and others dedicated solely to dental personnel.
Primarily, the GDC reminds dentists that they have a duty to behave professionally both online and offline, as the organization’s professional standards don’t change simply because social media is the avenue of communication. For example, dentists should not publish information that could identify their patients on social media without their consent.
The GDC also encourages appropriate boundaries with patients and suggests that dentists think very carefully before accepting friend requests from them. Dentists should not instigate or participate in any kind of cyber bullying, intimidation, or offensive language either, including the sharing of content posted by someone else.
Finally, the GDC says that dentists should not post any information including personal views, photographs, or opinions that could damage public confidence in the profession. Generally, the GDC says, all employees should comply with the practice’s social media policy.
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