Fred C Church

The growing use of social media both personally and professionally presents a growing challenge, particularly in health and human services risk management.

Healthcare providers often deal with sensitive patient information, both medical and financial. This can lead to risks of patient harm, data breaches, lawsuits, reputational damage and regulatory audits.

"It is important to take a close look at what you want to accomplish with social media in the short and long term," Christine Arevalo, director of healthcare identity management at ID Experts, told the Healthcare IT News. "And it's even more important to make sure your workforce knows what they can and can't post to social media sites on or off the job."

Umbrella policies that provide broader coverage in case of more disparate issues may be increasingly important as social media, mobile devices and other technologies that improve connectivity but may risk security are more widely used.

Experts warn that beginning to use social media when unprepared increases risks. Forming a coherent policy and training employees in appropriate use is necessary to minimize risks. Once information is on social media, it may be impossible to fully erase, so preventive security is crucial. Another concern is that workers who follow policy at work may have less security-conscious habits during off-hours.