Social Media in Health Care: How Close Is Too Close?

Social media use is increasing personally and professionally across numerous industries worldwide. The purpose of this article is to explore the utilization of social media in the health care field; specifically, how the treatment of a physician's Facebook friends would differ from that of a patient the physician did not know prior to treatment. While there are several benefits that come with incorporating social media into health care, as well as into the physician-patient relationship, there are also immense risks. The present study surveyed physicians to assess their opinions on the boundaries of an appropriate patient-physician relationship on social media. Fifty-six of 70 physicians responded with their attitudes on the difference between adding a patient as a friend and adding a friend as a patient, as well as the difference in care between the two. The results of the study showed that most physicians would not be opposed to taking on their Facebook friends as patients; however, the care they provide could potentially be radically different between their Facebook friend and an average patient. This means that patients should take extra care before asking their Facebook physician friends for formal care when they are in need.