Practitioners, students and businesses in the optical sector have been alerted to the potential dangers of using social media to interact with patients.
New guidance on social media and electronic communication was issued by the Optical Confederation this week, reminding industry professionals that the General Optical Council's Code of Conduct applied to online activity just as much as face-to-face contact.
The Confederation also recommended taking steps such as keeping personal and professional life separate, checking the privacy settings of the websites used and that individuals should avoid accepting 'friend requests' from patients - current or otherwise, so that boundaries are not blurred.
Corporate registrants were advised to consider issuing clear guidance and policies on the use of social networking sites, train managers to be able to deal with matters of internet misuse and have clear procedures to deal with instances of cyber bullying.
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