section Tk practice partner
Keeping it Confidential on the World ’ s Biggest Elevator
Patient privacy is paramount when doctors take to social media
DOC TALK
By Stuart Foxman illustration : sandy nichols
You ’ re on an elevator talking to a colleague about a patient . The doors open and a few people enter . How careful are you to respect the patient ’ s privacy ? What if this elevator holds not just a handful of people but hundreds , thousands , or tens of thousands ? Social media is the world ’ s biggest elevator . Everyone can hear what you ’ re saying . Some medical professionals have learned that the hard way . In Rhode Island , an emergency room doctor lost her job , and was reprimanded by her regulator , after posting information about a patient on Facebook . She didn ’ t mention the patient ’ s name , but provided enough information so that others could recognize the individual .
Also on Facebook , a Missouri obstetrician criticized a patient who was always late for her prenatal visits , revealed that the patient previously had a stillbirth and ( in retaliation for the patient ’ s tardiness ) joked about showing up late to do the delivery . Doctors who use online forums to discuss cases with other practitioners may think they are protecting confidentiality , but removing patients ’ names is just not enough . In one instance , a visitor to a hospital in London , England posted a picture of himself with doctors . In the shot , which went out to his 70,000 Twitter followers , a board in the background was visible . It listed patient names . The tweeter wasn ’ t a doctor but Jeremy Hunt – the country ’ s Health Secretary . With social media , the platforms may be
Issue 2 , 2017 Dialogue 43