Privacy & Social Media

I know what you are thinking; another soapbox and another discussion about the need for awareness when considering privacy in social media. This time however I want to address a sub-topic that subject matter experts, instructional designers and elearning developers can all relate to appreciate. That is discussing just how far can we go with incorporating social media's vast array of learning elements into our projects; especially for those who are in healthcare settings. For starters; take a look at the articled from the American Health Information Management Association called "Social Media + Healthcare". As education reaches further into the accessibility and facilitation of information exchange that cyberspace offers; I have to pause for a moment and take a 2nd guess and ask myself key questions such as this truely good for my organization's interest? In addition; "Are these sites opening any possible holes by which violations to HIPPA policy could occur?" is another question I find myself asking. Since the organization is bound by the guidelines of HIPPA; what considerations would they need to follow to ensure that all aspects of liability are considered? This is especially important because breaches in confidentiality no matter if they are intentional or not can be subject to fines and imprisonment. At the bare minimum, all staff taking part in online learning that includes social media interactions would be required to take a short training in HIPPA and acknowledge their responsibility to not disclose information. In terms of actually rolling out this learning space, I envision several phases that will slowly introduce interactivity. First phase will more provide information links, articles and videos where the learner can view and read. The next phase will integrate the ability to respond to articles along with the introduction of moderation by predetermined staff members. They can monitor responses and remove any that would be considered "high risk" responses that are possible breaches in confidentiality. Finally forums will be introduced in two parts that will both require fulltime monitoring. The first part will be where the staff can respond to premade topics. And the second part will allow for the staff to create their own topics.