Social networking in hospitals: A nuisance and liability, or "important adjunct" to traditional communication?

Paul Levy, the president and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, has a message for hospitals considering blocking access to social networking sites: Don't. In a blog post and email to The Industry Standard on Tuesday, he explained that closing off Facebook will not only have a negative effect on hospital communities, but will also impede the sharing of ideas and information -- practices that are vital to modern hospitals' day-to-day operations and long-term planning and teaching missions.

Levy was set off by an email that he says was broadcast last week to the staff of a Boston hospital. He declined to identify the hospital, but did republish the message on his blog. The email said:

Good morning,

Effective immediately, the Hospital is blocking access to social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter from all Hospital computers.

The decision is based on recent evidence that some employees have been using these sites to comment on Hospital business, which is a violation of the Hospital's Electronic Communications policy and a potential HIPAA violation.

The Executive Team will be working in the coming months to ensure that we have written policies in place that articulate the appropriate use of social networking sites while on duty at the Hospital. Once these written policies are in place, we have educated all employees about expectations and disciplinary action associated with violating the policies, and we have the appropriate IS tools in place to track utilization and monitor content, we will consider once again providing access to these sites. We expect this will take a period of about 6 months.

In the interim, please note that the Electronic Communication policy states that "incidental personal use of electronic communications systems may be allowed so long as such use does not consume more than a trivial amount of resources, interfere with staff productivity, preempt any business activity or violate Hospital policy".

Employees are free to use Hospital computers during their break periods to check personal email, or access the Internet, but you should be aware that the policy also states, "employees should not have any expectation of privacy with respect to any information on Hospital electronic communication systems or the contents thereof, including email, internet usage, voicemail, fax or other similar vehicles. [The hospital] reserves the right to monitor, review and inspect all uses and the contents thereof.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

On his widely read "Running a Hospital" blog, Levy questioned the justifications for the ban, and singled out Facebook as a particularly useful tool for exchanging ideas -- especially among younger staff:

"Any form of communication (even conversations in the elevator!) can violate important privacy rules, but limiting people's access to social media in the workplace will mainly inhibit the growth of community and discourage useful information sharing. It also creates a generational gap, in that Facebook, in particular, is often the medium of choice for people of a certain age. I often get many useful suggestions from staff in their 20's and 30's who tend not to use email. Finally, consider the cost of building and using tools that attempt to "track utilization and monitor content." Not worth the effort, I say."

The Standard followed up with Levy, asking him how his hospital deals with social networking. He said Beth Israel has not considered a similar policy because it is "inconsistent with our view of social media, which we view as an important adjunct to traditional forms of communication." He also said that while Facebook-style messages, wall posts and IM were used among younger staff at BI for informal chats or suggestions, when the talk turns to specific patients or other sensitive subjects, they switch to more secure electronic channels -- or better yet, talk about the issues in person or on the telephone.

Restrictions