Where does duty of care start and end in social media spaces?

Where does duty of care start and end in social media spaces?

by | Jul 31, 2013 | mental health, NHS stuff, social media | 0 comments

Where does duty of care start and end in social media spaces? This was a question I was asked by clinicians at a workshop I recently ran for an eating disorder service. They were referring to the duty which all NHS practitioners have to care for their patients in a safe and professional manner and to ensure they do not suffer harm.  “What if I recommend an app and my patient has a bad experience?” “What if I blog an opinion piece about a new treatment and a patient takes an action as a result which causes them harm?” “What if I recommend a Twitter chat and it triggers their distress?” Managing expectations This reminded me first and foremost about the importance of practitioners being clear about their own boundaries, as well as managing expectations of others, carefully and professionally in social media spaces (just as you would do in other contexts). The online/offline comparison test Secondly it struck me that the issues are similar, if not the same, to those arising in offline contexts – maybe it is unfamiliarity with social media that results in nervousness from some practitioners. For example, what would a practitioner do when helping a patient find opportunities to share support with people who have similar experiences – perhaps a support group?  They might do a bit of research – find out who runs the group and get recommendations from other people. They might talk through the pros and cons of attending the group so the individual can make their own informed choice. They might then check in with them at a follow up...
Can an app make you well happy?

Can an app make you well happy?

by | Jul 12, 2013 | mental health, social media | 0 comments

‘Young people can now have all the information they need in the privacy of their own surroundings without fear they may be judged by peers and all at the touch or flick of a button! Genius!’ There are so many apps out on the market, I was curious to find out a bit more about the process of commissioning and developing one and how you make sure you spend your money wisely and get what you want at the end of the process. Kat very kindly shared her experiences with me about developing the WellHappy app: V: tell us a bit about you K: my name is Kat, I’m 24 and I work for Young Minds and myhealthlondon as project manager for the WellHappy app. I’ve been a service user on and off for almost a decade now. I’ve also been running online support groups and moderating forums for about ten years too. For the last four years I have been a VIK (Very Important Kid) at Young Minds (participation project) working to raise awareness of young people’s mental health issues and improve services. Last August Young Minds gave me a job with them and the NHS in London to help young people by developing an app. V: how did WellHappy come about? K: it originally started off being a project just to answer part of the state of mind manifesto ‘tell us where we can go when we need help’ regarding mental health problems. Basically we thought long and hard about the best way to help young people find help (which was the question we were posed by the State of Mind...
Institutions and social media – disruption or appropriation?

Institutions and social media – disruption or appropriation?

by | Jul 1, 2013 | social media | 4 comments

When I first started getting in to social media, I was intrigued by its potential to disrupt spaces where power traditionally lies – ordinary people chipping away at the monoliths of institutions which have previously taken for granted their right to control information and knowledge. How to respond… How would those institutions respond? I could see three options – firstly  ignore and hope it would go away, secondly appropriate social media spaces as additional communication channels, thirdly embrace the disruptive quality of social media to catalyse different sorts of relationships based on distributed rather than positional power. Spellbound or underwhelmed? These thoughts came back in to my mind when reading Using Social Media to Inform, Engage and Consult People in Developing Health and Community Care Services (HealthCare Improvement Scotland, 2013). It is full of information, advice and case studies to help organisations involve people in service changes. But I felt a bit disappointed. It didn’t quite capture the disruptive potential,l afforded by social media, that I find so spellbinding. The authors assert ‘social media must always complement, rather than replace, traditional methods of engaging with individuals and communities.’ And in once sense they are right. To only engage with people in social media spaces would mean excluding many. But that sentence also illuminates a conceptualisation of social media as an ‘add on’ to what already exists. It is one more thing to do. This is where I think institutions might miss an opportunity. The distributed networks, the amplification, the conversations and relationships afforded by social media have radical potential. If institutions merely seek to appropriate them as additional channels...