Social Media Policy and Best Practices

Best Practices

UCLA Health encourages positive community involvement in all online communications. These guidelines remind us how to make respectful and appropriate decisions about interactions with internet users. Please note that you are also expected to follow University of California and UCLA Health policies.

  1. Think before engaging. Everything you say or do online is likely to be stored forever, even if you delete it.
    Always exercise good judgment and common sense when engaging in social media – this includes posting on your own or engaging with other posts through comments, shares and likes. Individuals are personally responsible for their online actions, and once something is posted, it can live forever through screenshots. Given the public nature of social media, assume everything posted can be seen by the UCLA Health community and patients. Ask yourself, how would a patient feel if they saw this? For this reason, ensure that social media activity is consistent with UCLA Health policies.
  2. Be Respectful.
    UCLA Health is committed to a harassment-free workplace. Be respectful, responsible and compliant with the related policies.
  3. You Must Protect Confidential information (HIPAA).
    We must protect patient privacy, be compliant with HIPAA laws and regulations, and protect UCLA Health’s private, confidential and proprietary information. Workforce members must not disclose any information regarding any UCLA Health patients or families without explicit written permission. Always check the background of your photos to ensure identities, names and medical information are not present. You should refrain from violating any nondisclosure or confidentiality obligations.
  4. Media or Press Inquiries Should be Reported to UCLA Health Media Relations.
  5. Consider Reputation
    Recognize that online actions and posted content may negatively affect your reputation among patients, colleagues, researchers and educators; may have consequences for your medical career; and can undermine public trust in the medical profession. Any time you share content that shows our UCLA Health logo (on apparel, badges, background settings), you are representing our brand.
  6. Use a Disclaimer.
    If you participate in social media and you reveal your affiliation or work with UCLA Health, state that your opinions are your own and do not represent the views of the organization. Learn more about using a disclaimer. Do not use the UCLA Health name, brand or logo in a manner that violates trademark or copy law.
  7. Be Mindful of What to Share.
    Social media allows for updates, opinions and civil discussions, but should not be an outlet for rude, argumentative or hateful comments. Consider how you are representing yourself online, and if you are demonstrating professional conduct.
  8. Have a Goal.
    Consider the goal of your post. Do you want your audience to like it, comment on it, share it or enroll in a program/event? If you are linking to a destination page, make sure the page’s content matches what you have said in your post.

Purpose

Digital and social media have profound effects on the way we communicate, and technology has become essential to the way we serve the needs of our patients and communities. DGSOM encourages the appropriate use of digital and social media as a means of increasing awareness of DGSOM activities, enhancing community relationships, advancing knowledge of education and research, and otherwise engaging in work-related communications. It is imperative that DGSOM Workforce members who participate and actively engage online understand their responsibilities when using these tools to communicate. This policy provides direction to DGSOM workforce members about creating, approving, and managing digital and social media accounts. This policy also outlines the DGSOM Marketing and Communications Office’s role in supporting the creation and use of digital and social media accounts that use the UCLA brand and logos. The provisions of this policy should not be construed to interfere with any rights protected under state, federal, or local law, including a workforce member’s right to discuss or engage in digital and social media activities relating to the terms and conditions of employment or raising good faith workplace concerns.

Scope

This policy applies to all staff members, faculty, students, trainees and volunteers of the research and education enterprises at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. This policy includes digital and social media activities during work and non-work time, as well as activities conducted on work and non-work systems, consistent with applicable law.

Definitions

For purposes of this policy, digital and social media are defined as any form of electronic communication through which the user creates online communications designed to share information, ideas, pictures, videos, personal messages and any other user-generated content.  Digital and social media include but are not limited to text, audio, video, images, podcasts, webpages and other multimedia content. This policy applies to all forms of social media and will continue to evolve as new digital technologies and social media sites emerge. 

Policy

DGSOM entities, faculty, staff, and students who have, or wish to have, a DGSOM-branded social media account or who plan to create one should inform the UCLA David Geffen IT (DGIT) Web Product Manager.

The DGIT web team can offer guidance and assistance to individuals and units who are using or considering using social media as a professional communications tool.

The DGSOM at UCLA recommends the following steps be taken prior to creation of a DGSOM-branded social media account:

  • Obtain approval from a supervisor, entity-executive leadership (i.e. department chair, division chief, manager, etc.).
  • Designate a content owner and back-up moderator who are responsible for monitoring and maintaining accurate content. The primary content owner should have at least 0.25 FTE dedicated to social media management.

Content Owners 

  • Content owners are responsible for maintaining compliance with DGSOM policies concerning patient privacy, HIPAA, and conflict of interest, DGSOM branding, and related policies
  • Content owners must obtain signed, HIPAA authorization forms before posting or sharing any protected health information (PHI). Content owners are prohibited from posting or sharing any PHI regardless of where it was first posted (i.e. external media site), without proper written authorization.
  • Content owners are responsible for ensuring content is current, accurate, and respects copyrights and disclosures. Proprietary financial, intellectual property, patient care, or similar sensitive or private content cannot be published.
  • Content owners are responsible for gaining the express consent of all involved parties for the right to distribute or publicize recordings, photos, images, video, text, slideshow presentations or artwork.
  • Content owners must actively monitor postings.
  • The department owner must have access and the ability to login to their account. DGIT must have administrative access and login information to all university “official” business-related social media accounts by way of administrative platforms of the social network or technology (such as LastPass) where applicable. Workforce members who maintain this information must make it available to the department owner or DGIT at the end of employment.
  • Develop a social media strategy. See UCLA’s social media guidelines site for guidance.
  • Become familiar with campus and UCLA Health social media resources:

Content Suspension

DGSOM reserves the right to suspend the use of, or modify content on, DGSOM-sponsored digital and social media sites within University policy and applicable law.

Timekeeping

DGSOM workforce members who are responsible for monitoring and updating sites must comply with policies and collective bargaining agreements regarding time reporting.

Digital and Social Media and Recruiting

DGSOM uses digital and social media to drive brand awareness and assist in talent acquisition efforts. The use of social media in the recruiting process is limited to, and should only be conducted by, Human Resources Planning and Talent Acquisition.

If workforce members have any questions about the policy’s expectations or individual responsibilities, please contact DGSOM Digital Marketing.

Email: DeansOfficeDigital@mednet.ucla.edu

Related Policies and Guidelines

The following policies are also be applicable to digital and social media activities: