Social media is an ever increasing form of communication for many people in both their personal and professional lives. It presents people with many benefits in allowing them to communicate a variety of messages to many people with great speed and efficiency. However, those benefits need to be balanced with the many risks social media presents.

Social media is a very broad term which includes any websites and applications which allow users to interact with other people as well as create or share information (text, photos, videos etc.).

There are endless examples where people appear to have not stopped and thought before they’ve posted on social media. Poorly considered social media posts can and do affect the personal and professional reputation and image of individuals as well as a businesses; even if the post isn’t directly related to a business.

The following tips will assist individuals and businesses manage their risks when using social media.

1. Have a business plan for how and why social media is to be used
When deciding whether or not to create a business social media presence, it’s very easy to think ‘if everyone else is doing it, so should I’.  However there needs to be greater thought put into this decision.  The decision to use social media should be well thought out and based on a company’s needs and business plans; the benefits and risks need to be considered.

2. Business social media should be based on business requirements, not personal views
Business owners and managers need to be sure that when they make a decision on whether to use social media for their business, this decision is based on the needs of the organisation, not the owner’s/manager’s personal views of social media.  For example, a person who chooses to not use Twitter for personal use may still decide it’s a great tool for them professionally.  Business decisions and personal decisions regarding social media use should be separated.

3. Create clear business guidelines and processes regarding who is able to post on social media and how this is to be done
Due to the risks associated with social media interactions, it’s very important that businesses have a clear process for who is responsible for posting on social media.  The person undertaking this role needs to understand when social media is an appropriate form of communication and what sort of messages are to be shared using social media.  This process should also provide guidance on how often social media is monitored and responded to and how to respond to negative comments.

4. Consider training for those staff responsible for social media
It’s often assumed that young people are well versed in social media use however this isn’t always the case.  Also, not all users of social media understand appropriate business use and its associated risks.  Therefore it’s worth considering training in social media communications and its risks for the responsible staff members.

5. Understand the social media site you’re using
There’s a wide variety of social media sites available to businesses, all providing similar yet different benefits.  When a business is using any of these sites, it’s very important they understand the various functions within that site.  Not fully understanding how a site works is going to increase the risks of using it.

6. Consider what messages should be shared using social media
All businesses have various ways in which they communicate with their customers and clients.  Social media is generally designed for short sharp messages, yet not all information suits this style of communication.  When businesses are communicating with their customers, they need to carefully consider how that particular message should be shared.

7. Carefully consider the implications of engaging with clients on social media
Professionals and businesses should consider if social media is an appropriate forum for them to be communicating with clients, both through business or personal accounts.  Engagement through personal accounts can blur professional boundaries.  When using business accounts, some conversations may not suit social media, especially if the conversation appears in a public setting.  It’s important to consider what conversations are best had away from social media and when to take a discussion off line.

8. Your business social media use must adhere to the Ahpra Advertising Guidelines
Ahpra regulated professionals need to adhere to Ahpra’s Advertising Guidelines with all of their advertising.  This includes any advertising or promotion done using any social media site.

9. Understand that you can no longer separate personal and professional use
Unfortunately many people hold a view that what they write within a personal social media account in their own time will have no bearing or impact on them professionally.  However this is not the case.  Whether fair or not, professionals are always representing their profession and professional self; personal social media posts can be considered to be representing a professional view.  Therefore the professional impact needs to be considered before any personal post is made.

10. Don’t believe that any post is ever private
Too often people post information on social media which they intended to remain private and not be seen widely.  However social media can never truly be private.  Many online groups claim to be private and state that members require approval.  However non-approved users don’t need to be particularly savvy to access these groups and then share or copy information being posted.  Professionals need to remember that if they don’t want their colleagues, clients or competitors seeing a social media post, it should never be posted on either personal or business accounts.

11. Never post in haste, all posts need to be carefully considered
As mentioned earlier, social media is designed for quick short messages to be shared widely.  This means social media can encourage messages to be shared with little thought or planning which on occasions leads to poorly worded messages which are easily misinterpreted.  It’s important to pause and think through a message before it’s shared.

Download PDF here

Guild Insurance Limited ABN 55 004 538 863, AFS Licence No. 233 791.  This article contains information of a general nature only, and is not intended to constitute the provision of legal advice. Guild Insurance supports your Association through the payment of referral fees for certain products or services you take out with them.

Social media is a continually growing and changing online tool. How and when it should be used professionally isn’t straightforward, especially for health professionals.

It’s been recognised that many speech pathologists are using social media to seek clinical advice and support. While there are obvious benefits to doing this, as it allows you to access professional support from a wide range of people, this also carries risks which need to be carefully considered and managed.

Specific individual client advice

It’s not appropriate to use social media to seek advice or recommendations for a specific individual client. This is because the level of detail which would need to be provided about that client to obtain individualised advice is too great and should never be shared on social media, even if de-identified. All health professionals need to remember that social media is never private, even if ‘private’ professional chat groups are created. It’s too easy for information to be shared further or used in a way not intended. It’s also possible that a client could be identified by the information shared.  A speech pathologist may be keen to seek advice from colleagues, in which case it’s appropriate to identify those with particular expertise in the field and contact them individually, rather than ask for specific advice on social media.

Asking clients for consent to share their personal information in order to ask questions about their care on social media is not an appropriate way to support decision making about future intervention. Although a speech pathologist may think about asking for consent to share information, social media is not an appropriate place to have individualised case discussions. Posting detailed health related information also poses numerous risks to a speech pathologist’s responsibilities under the Australian Privacy Principles. These include requirements to protect information from misuse or unauthorised access, and to dispose of personal information that is no longer needed. These requirements may be difficult or impossible to manage once personal information is shared on social media.

General advice

It’s acceptable to use social media to obtain general advice about a client group, such as if looking for tips when using telehealth for clients with autism. However, in these cases, the advice being sought must be broad, general, and applicable to various situations and clients. As soon as individual client characteristics are raised or discussed, this conversation can’t continue online.

Speech pathologists who are considering providing advice via social media should be mindful that advice should only be general in nature, e.g. useful resource or relevant journal article. Responses and advice provided via social media interactions carry a degree of risk as it’s unlikely all client details/circumstances will be shared as if you were in a more formal supervisory arrangement. When speech pathologists need professional support related to a client, social media can be a helpful place to “cast a wide net” and find someone with experience in the practice area. The following discussion about the individual client can then be held offline. When using social media to find supervision, mentoring, or peer support, speech pathologists should be careful to only share general information online. They should also verify the experience of the person offering that support, create an agreement that addresses client privacy and terms of the partnership, and document support sessions.

Case Study

Alex has recently started seeing a client who requires intervention in an area where she has little or no experience. She would like to extend her skills in this area of practice but has identified that she needs support and education to make decisions about how to manage this client.

Alex considers all her options and decides to:

• talk with her clinical supervisor who she knows has experience in this area
• ask a co-worker who’s experienced in this area in a private setting
• engage colleagues in a closed community of practice where participants have a confidentiality agreement and have acknowledged their experience
• search for the latest evidence from quality sources
• use social media to locate resources, ask for general information, or identify sources for continuing professional development

Alex thinks about asking which interventions should be used with this client on social media, but decides not to because:

• she would need to provide specific client Information such as diagnosis, age, location, etc.
• she has no way of determining if the information being shared is provided by individuals who have the relevant skills, knowledge and experience to make comments about the management of client issues.
• the post could be shared beyond the confines of the social media community without her or her client’s knowledge or consent.

Additional considerations…

• The knowledge, skills and experiences of those providing online advice cannot be verified, even if in a private group of speech pathologists. Individuals providing this advice usually won’t have insight or input into how the advice will be implemented in practice. Therefore, clinicians shouldn’t rely solely on advice sourced on social media platforms to make clinical decisions.
• Professionals sometimes turn to social media for quick advice to assist them in that moment.  However, what’s often needed is ongoing guidance and support. This need won’t be satisfied in a social media exchange.  Therefore, speech pathologists need to consider other avenues available to them for gaining the support and advice they need.
• Social media encourages short messages provided quickly and without a great deal of thought. Short messages can easily be misinterpreted or misunderstood. Professional support and decision-making require detailed sharing of information and thoughtful consideration by those who are both seeking and offering advice.
• The sharing of information online may lead to a clinician breaching their ethical obligations to confidentiality and privacy, and the responsibility to uphold the quality and safety of the interventions provided to a client. This can have broad implications as speech pathologists always represent not only themselves and their business, but also the wider profession.

In summary, social media does have a place for seeking out or sharing professional clinical information of a general nature. However, whether asking for or providing advice, all clinicians need to carefully consider the circumstances of online interactions and be sure appropriate professional standards are being maintained.

Guild Insurance Limited ABN 55 004 538 863, AFS Licence No. 233 791.  This article contains information of a general nature only, and is not intended to constitute the provision of legal advice. Guild Insurance supports your Association through the payment of referral fees for certain products or services you take out with them. 

Facebook has evolved greatly over time, and so has our use of it. Gone are the days of it simply being used to chat with friends and share holiday photos. Professional use of Facebook has grown to the point where many people expect businesses to have a Facebook presence.

With ever-evolving algorithms, features, and account settings, it can be difficult to stay on top of best and safe practices. Most concerningly, these changes can lead to misunderstanding the many risks and issues all businesses — including speech pathology practices — need to consider before creating a professional Facebook account.

Reasons for a Facebook account

Creating a business Facebook account simply because others have one isn’t reason enough. As with all decisions in your speech pathology business, this should be a strategic choice. Carefully consider the pros, cons, and especially the risks, as issues can quickly escalate due to how content spreads online.

Your speech pathology practice should have a process and policy covering:

• What information will be shared?
• How responses to comments will be managed
• Who is responsible for managing the account
• How client permission will be obtained and recorded if posting information about clients
• Who ensures the content is appropriate and compliant with advertising standards

Ethics of posting information about clients

It’s increasingly common to see practices share client information on Facebook. Even with permission from the client or their parents, it’s important to consider whether it’s ethical or professionally appropriate.

Before posting about client progress, ask:

• Can the information be shared without identifying the client?
• Is there any real benefit in identifying them?
• Who will see the post? Could friends or acquaintances of the client see it?
• If the client is a child, how might they feel about this as they get older?

Client permission alone isn’t always enough. The reasons for sharing and potential implications should be carefully evaluated.

Is Facebook a risk for your speech pathology practice?

Blurring of professional boundaries

Social media platforms like Facebook can blur professional boundaries. Informal online communication may differ from face-to-face interactions and could affect how clients perceive the relationship. It can also result in clients attempting to contact clinicians through personal accounts. Always maintain professional separation in all communications.

Privacy

Privacy on Facebook is limited. Keep in mind:

• Posts and comments can be screenshotted and saved — they are never truly deleted.
• >Privacy within groups can’t be guaranteed. Fake accounts can infiltrate private groups.
• If you wouldn’t want a regulator, client, colleague, or competitor to see it — don’t post it.

Appropriate use of social media for advertising

Speech Pathology Australia has a Code of Ethics – Advertising Policy that outlines appropriate use of social media and other advertising platforms. The same level of professionalism and care in language and information is expected across all forms of advertising, including Facebook.

You can access this policy on the Speech Pathology Australia website: speechpathologyaustralia.org.au.

Seeking advice

Before using Facebook to seek or share professional advice — even in “closed” or private groups — consider whether that forum is appropriate.

While peer support is valuable, Facebook groups may not be suitable for discussing client-specific information. Risks include:

• Confidentiality breaches
• Inadequate clinical context for accurate advice
• Incorrect or inappropriate guidance being shared or followed

Speech pathologists have an ethical obligation to follow evidence-based practice. General clinical discussions may be appropriate on social media, but for client-specific situations, seek advice through professional supervision or formal consultation channels.

Download pdf