Surfing the web is an entertaining pursuit but the Internet is also a powerful learning, networking and collaborative business tool and KGH is now poised to take better advantage of it.
As part of the hospital's new Social Media Policy, our Information Management department has removed the filters that were in place for many popular websites. This means you can now access social media sites, such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn for work reasons. You will also be able to actively take part in social media, so you can spark some cyber-conversations of your own.
"People at KGH are always looking for new ways to reach out and interact with other health-care providers and experts, and social media is a great way to do it," says Helen Simeon, Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer. "This new policy provides guidelines to help everyone at KGH use these popular communication tools properly and productively."
The new policy was developed after a round of consultations here and at Queen's University and it spells out what is allowed and what you need to be careful about when using social media.
For starters, social media use is allowed at KGH for work-related purposes only. Personal use of social media is for your personal time. But even if you are not at work, you still need to be aware of, and abide by, all KGH policies if you'd like to mention our hospital in any way.
For example, if you're working on a "tweet", a posting to your Facebook page or a personal blog, you must first make sure it complies with all of our professional conduct, privacy and confidentiality policies. This means you cannot include any confidential information about your co-workers or any of our patients and their families. Confidential information includes their names and personal information and details of any discussions they may have been involved in at KGH. You are also not allowed to post photos or videos of KGH patients without a signed KGH Media Consent Form. For staff and others in the KGH community, you'll need to get informed consent.
"A social media policy has become a must for all big organizations," says Troy Jones, Chief Information Officer. "The policy is in place to help people in the KGH community translate their existing responsibilities into a social media context to help protect everyone who works, learns or volunteers at KGH, as well as the people relying on us for their care."
To this end, the guidelines also contain tips on how to respect your audience, handle any controversial issues you may come across online, as well as directions on the approvals you'll need to set up any stand-alone, KGH-related social media sites.
