Protect patients' privacy and confidentiality

Your duty of confidentiality to patients applies online as well as offline.
Avoid making comments about patients online.
Think about whether your posts could be viewed negatively if a patient or their family saw them.

Even if what you post on social media seems harmless and doesn't identify a patient by name, it is in the public domain and could amount to a breach of confidentiality - for example, if your patient was a friend of a friend and your post identified them in some way, or a patient came across one of your comments.

Negative posts that might undermine public confidence in the profession, even if they don't identify a specific patient, could have serious consequences for any dental professional and may be brought to the attention of the GDC.

The GDC says, "you must not post any information or comments about patients on social networking or blogging sites. If you use professional social media to discuss anonymised cases for the purposes of discussing best practice, you must be careful that the patient or patients cannot be identified."

Check your privacy settings

Review your privacy settings on a regular basis to make sure you aren't sharing more information than you intended. Social media sites and apps often make minor changes and updates to the way they operate, which can affect how your profile appears to the public.

Your personal accounts should be kept private, with access limited to friends only.

Think before responding

Patients can take to social media when they feel they have a reason to complain. It can be difficult to know how to respond to such public criticism.

Although many social media sites have options for users to report offensive posts, asking for such posts to be removed may not be the best idea. Often it can anger the complainant more; they may choose to post their comments elsewhere, or complain that you are 'silencing' them.

You might want to consider responding politely to the comment, without breaching patient confidentiality, and inviting the poster to contact the practice directly so you can discuss their concerns further. A response like this can often satisfy the patient.

Avoid blurring the boundaries

If you use social media to promote your practice, it's important to keep your personal and professional accounts separate. Don't blur the boundaries by attempting to use one account for both uses.

Any information you post on your practice profile should comply with the GDC's guidance on advertising.

The DDU advises against accepting friend requests from patients or allowing patients to follow your profile on a personal social media account.

Beware of inappropriate groups or communities

Social media sites can provide opportunities for like-minded individuals to join groups or communities where they can interact with others about their jobs or interests. Although such groups can be a great way for dental professionals to communicate with each other, it's important to remain cautious and keep communications to a professional standard.

In the past, some dental professionals have found themselves in hot water after joining groups mocking patients or the profession. Think about how the groups you join or the posts you make will look to those both inside and outside the profession.

Be aware that anything you upload to a social networking site may be distributed further than you intended. It's also a good idea to presume that anything you post online will be there permanently, even if you delete it afterwards.

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