Doctors wary of using social media for patient communication

Doctors are reluctant to communicate with patients via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, according to a story in The Cincinnati Enquirer. "You have to be very cautious, because once something's out there in the ether, it could go all sorts of places," Dr. Margaret LeMasters told the newspaper's Cliff Peale. "There's probably a way to do it, but you just have to be careful."

The health-care industry in general has been wary of using electronic communication between companies and consumers, Peale reports. Doctors, especially, prefer communication with patients either by phone call or face to face. The American Medical Association has released a new set of guidelines on use of social networks, most of which encourage caution. (Read more)