With the growing strength of social media and technologically savvy citizens, we have definitely seen our fair share of controversies on the internet. The medical world is definitely not an exception.
Time and again, we come across Facebook statuses of a healthcare personnel ranting about a patient who refused to vaccinate his child, an Instagram photo of a patient being monitored in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the occasional tweets about patients who tend to diagnose themselves after consulting “Dr. Google”. Not to forget, the countless pictures and comments medical students post which occasionally include patients and their families.
Whether intentional or not, there are many healthcare personnel and medical students who discuss or reveal information pertaining to patients on social media. Many may not be aware of the thin line between sharing personal thoughts and breaching the doctor- patient confidentiality (in a medical students case; future doctor – patient’s confidentiality).
This is probably due to the lack of knowledge pertaining to legal and ethical issues when engaging in social media. It should also serve as a wakeup call and reminder to all in the profession to tread or should I say, type more carefully. I write this in hope that it will shed some light on the aspects of privacy and confidentiality that we may not be very aware of.
Doctor-patient confidentiality is mainly to ensure a patient that should he or she wish to seek consultation or treatment from a physician, there should be no element of fear or worry of having their personal information or condition being disclosed to others. It is meant to give patients a sense of security and comfort in the fact that their private information is safeguarded.
In relation to medicine, this confidentiality is of utmost importance. A patient’s truthful history and information based on the trust that confidentiality is maintained would be crucial in helping the physician arrive to a correct diagnosis. This will ultimately help the physician provide the patient with the best medical care possible.
Furthermore, there have been several incidents whereby healthcare personnel have been reprimanded for discussing or revealing patient information on social media. Recently, a physician in the United States lost her job and even tarnished her reputation by posting patient data to her personal profile on Facebook. Although the actual patient’s name was never mentioned, the information posted was enough for one to identify the mentioned. The physician was eventually reprimanded and found “guilty of unprofessional conduct.”
“Trust is like a mirror, once broken, it will never be the same”
– Anonymous
In addition to that, another doctor, just like many professionals with stressful careers, have decided to vent on her personal profile after a long day at work. This however, was a critical error on her part which led to her dismissal as a patient’s privacy is important in the healthcare industry.
Many are still learning the tricks of how to navigate these unchartered seas where it is a tell-all, share all and viral all social media culture, while still respecting the limits of privacy their profession require. There has yet to be strict policies regarding social media surrounding the doctor-patient relationship. They are probably uncommon or not yet well defined.
Where does this leave us medical students you may ask? How does it affect us? Although most of the information I have mentioned above is more relatable to practicing physicians, I believe that we should inculcate good ethics and practice right from the get-go. It is probably not wise to post pictures with patients, even when we have their best intentions at heart, our intentions may be misinterpreted by others and may even become a medico-legal issue.
Creativity and talent is certainly abundant in the medical fraternity as many medical students are also avid writers, bloggers and internet celebrities. We actively use Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram to broadcast our opinions to a wide audience. These free forms of communication have provided us platforms to engage in audiences we may never have been able to reach 10 years ago. Therefore, being careful with what one chooses to make public is essential. With the rise in number of keyboard warriors and “like” or “share” addicts, a lot of information is shared without verification of its authenticity.
The famous saying; “A pen is mightier than a sword”, suits this situation very well in the context of words that cause harm which in the current times, usually refer to words typed on a keyboard.
Either way, healthcare social media is not going away. For health consumers and patients, it is definitely worth keeping its pros and cons in mind when they decide to read, “share” or “like” something they come across on social media.
In order to avoid adding fuel to fires and having unnecessary confrontations or disputes, it would be wise to think before making something public. Try walking in the patient’s shoes, and think about how you may react if someone were to publicize such a thing about you. Be responsible. With the internet, nothing is certain. Even when you delete something, it still lingers in the limbo of information and content of the World Wide Web. Even if patients are not named or identified by their identification numbers, the disclosed information may very well suffice to help identify them. Some may think that their privacy settings have been tailored to cater to only their close friends and family. However, previous blunders have proven otherwise as there have been many occasions where things have gotten out of control or misinterpreted and blown out of proportion.
Prevention is better than cure. Do not regret doing something you could have avoided with a few more moments of rational thinking and reasoning.
Let us know what you think and if you have any advice to share with everyone. Looking forward to hear from you.
Nurul Firdaus Binti Salahul Ahmed is a 5th year medical student in Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences (CUCMS). Learn more about the Young Columnists under the Team page.