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WhatsApp guidelines - what guidelines? A literature review
Maurice Mars1, Christopher Morris1, Richard E Scott1,2
1Department of TeleHealth, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare
|October 22, 2019
Summary
Clinicians frequently use instant messaging (IM) like WhatsApp for patient care, but no official guidelines exist. Generic guidelines are needed for secure and effective IM use in healthcare communication.
Area of Science:
- Health Informatics
- Medical Communication
- Digital Health
Background:
- Instant messaging (IM) is widely adopted in healthcare for clinician communication.
- WhatsApp is a frequently used IM application for sharing sensitive patient information.
- The use of IM in clinical settings raises significant legal, regulatory, and ethical concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the existence of guidelines for the clinical use of WhatsApp.
- To explore the potential for developing generic guidelines for IM use in healthcare professional communication.
Main Methods:
- A systematic search of nine electronic databases was conducted in January 2019.
- Articles were included if they reported on WhatsApp use in clinical practice, addressed legal/ethical issues, and provided guidance.
- Inclusion criteria focused on English-language papers concerning WhatsApp in clinical service.
Main Results:
- No mandatory national guidelines for IM use with patient-sensitive information were found; only advisories against its use.
- While 21 articles highlighted the need for general guidelines, only 12 offered specific guidance.
- Key issues addressed in the literature included confidentiality, privacy, security, record keeping, and data storage.
Conclusions:
- Clinicians utilize IM for its efficiency, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness.
- There is a lack of suitable guidelines for the clinical application of IM.
- Generic, adaptable guidelines are essential for the safe and effective use of IM in healthcare delivery.
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