Facebook poses ethical risk to doctors
Wednesday December 2nd, 2009
A warning has been issued to doctors not to get close to patients on social networking sites.
The Medical Defence Union, a group that defends doctors' professional reputations, says that some patients attempt to proposition doctors by sending them messages on Facebook or similar sites.
The union advises doctors not to respond, as "it would be wholly inappropriate to respond to a patient making advances in this way". Responding may be seen as overstepping the professional boundary of the doctor/patient relationship, they add.
In the Medical Defence Union journal, medico-legal adviser Dr Emma Cuzner writes: "The pitfalls posed to doctors using social networking sites by inadvertently breaching confidentiality or posting unprofessional content, such as photos, have been well documented. But doctors may be less prepared for patients using sites like Facebook to ask them out on a date."
It is not rude to ignore these messages because this is not a professional route of communication, she states. Relationships with patients should be kept on a professional footing. She warns that doctors could face an investigation by the General Medical Council if they are accused of overstepping ethical boundaries.
"They have a duty to maintain the public trust in the profession at all times, in their professional and private lives and not only when at their place of work," she writes.
Also in the journal is a study investigating complaints to GPs over intimate examinations.
Karen Roberts, the union's clinical risk manager, says there were 48 complaints in the five years of her study. She advises doctors to explain why the examination is needed and what it involves, and not to make personal comments during the examination.
Cuzner, E. The hidden dangers of social networking. Medical Defence Union Journal, Vol. 25, November 2009, pp. 12-13.
Roberts, K. A review of GP women's health claims and complaints. Medical Defence Union Journal, Vol. 25, November 2009, pp. 9-11.
Tags: General Health | UK News
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